<<Fit for School>> - development and evaluation of a structured diabetes education course for 5- to 7-year-old children to support save start in primary school

Background: The feasibility of structured diabetes education for preschool-aged children has not yet been evaluated. A multiprofessional team developed a structured 2-day diabetes training tailored to the cognitive developmental level of 5- to 7-year-old children.

Objective: To assess the acceptability of the structured education and its impact on quality of life, social inclusion, and glycemic control during the first six months of school attendance.

Methods: At study entry and at six-month follow-up, parents of participating children answered questionnaires on their child's health-related quality of life (Kiddy-Kindl), self-management skills, glycemic control, and satisfaction with the program.

Results: Overall 88 children (mean (SD) age: 6.4 (0.4) years; diabetes duration: 2.8 (1.6) years; 56% boys, 97% insulin pump) participated in the education course; at study entry all parents answered the questionnaire, 80% at follow-up. Parents evaluated their child’s health-related quality of life higher compared to parents of children in the general population (mean (SD) Kiddy-Kindl total score: 84.71 (7.4) vs. 80.04 (8.1); P < 0.001). In school all children participated in exercise lessons and one-day trips. Parents of 77% of the children reported that diabetes did not interfere with their child’s school performance. Children's median HbA1c remained stable over six months at 7.3% [55.3 mmol/mol], P = 0.624). All parents recommended the course to other families with preschool children with diabetes.

Conclusion: The diabetes training for preschoolers is feasible und may contribute to a successful start in school with social inclusion, high quality of life, and stable glycemic control.

Die Daten wurden durch die Autorinnen persönlich während der Patientenschulungen am Kinderkrankenhaus AUF DER BULT Hannover erhoben und doppelt in die Datenbank eingegeben und überprüft. Die somatischen Parameter wurden im Rahmen der ambulanten Langzeitbetreuung der Kinder mit T1D erhoben, die Einschätzungen der Eltern wurden mit evaluierten psychometrischen Messinstrumenten erhoben.

The study procedures were approved by the Ethical Committee on Human Studies at Hannover Medical School (no. 7979_BO_K_2017) in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.