Smartphone Use in Teens with Diabetes

By Jeanine Guidry and Zach Radcliff
Backed by Denny Luan
Virginia Commonwealth University
Netherlands
MedicinePsychology
$100
Raised of $3,800 Goal
3%
Ended on 8/15/14
Campaign Ended
  • $100
    pledged
  • 3%
    funded
  • Finished
    on 8/15/14

About This Project

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease that requires a stringent treatment regime that can affect a teen’s life in a multitude of ways. Smartphones and the use of mHealth are increasingly used to support treatment for various conditions, but little is known about how teens with T1D use these technologies. This project will study how teens with T1D use smartphones to find out how to best use smartphone tech to improve treatment adherence.

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What is the context of this research?

Type 1 Diabetes affects more than 200,000 children and teens in the United States, and requires a complicated treatment regime. Unfortunately, treatment adherence deteriorates as teens get older. In addition, mHealth (the branch of eHealth defined as “the use of mobile computing and communication technologies in healthcare and public health”), has been steadily increasing over the past decade. These mobile technologies are particularly effective because they are flexible, innovative, and accessible. As teen mobile use increases, this becomes a new area to apply interventions, particularly in Type 1 Diabetes.

What is the significance of this project?

As teens get older, adherence to insulin injections, exercise regimens, blood glucose monitoring, and diet all decrease. Treatment adherence among teenage T1D patients tends to be problematic because of the intense physical and psychosocial changes associated with adolescence (e.g., physiological changes in insulin requirements, a desire for greater independence). In addition, diabetes management begins transferring from parents to teen, which means adolescents start taking control of their treatment at the exact time these challenges arise. It is critical to develop interventions that will improve treatment adherence in a way relevant and attractive to teens. Further, during adolescence, teens learn diabetes management skills that they will use throughout life.

What are the goals of the project?

This will be an formative study designed to provide information about cell phone use in adolescents with T1D. With the information collected, mobile apps and resources can be target at these teens to improve regimen adherence and diabetes health.

Information collected will relate to general cell phone and mobile device use in addition to directly surveying teens about what areas of diabetes care would be helpful to have accessible through their mobile devices.

This study will take place through two phases:

  1. Online survey: General use and background information
  2. Phone interviews with a subset of the study population about what mobile resources they would find helpful.

Budget

We will post the initial survey online and advertise in pediatric endocrinology clinics as well as post information about it on social media sites. Participants in the online survey portion will be entered to win a $50 gift card (2 winners). They will also be given the option to be contacted for the phone interview portion. Participants in the phone interview portion will be paid $20 for their time. Each interviewer will be trained and paid $50 completed interview.

Meet the Team

Jeanine Guidry
Jeanine Guidry
Zach Radcliff
Zach Radcliff

Team Bio

Jeanine Guidry is a graduate student studying how to use mobile technology and social media in the field of health communications, especially related to chronic health conditions. When a friend's daughter was diagnosed with T1D, she saw the impact of the disease first hand and her desire to study mobile technology as it connects to T1D was kindled. In her spare time, Jeanine runs a small nonprofit that paints murals on the walls of rundown streets and alleys in Richmond, VA.

Zach Radcliff is a graduate student studying the psychological impact of chronic illness on youth and their families. For the past ten years he has been involved with a summer camp for youth with T1D. With this camp as motivation, he studied the role of parenting in youth T1D outcomes. He is further interested in innovative interventions for youth with T1D, helping them build healthy habits for life. On a personal note, Zach loves all things water related (swimming, surfing, water polo, kayaking, skiing).

Lab Notes

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Project Backers

  • 1Backers
  • 3%Funded
  • $100Total Donations
  • $100.00Average Donation