Training adolescents with type 1 diabetes to carbohydrate counting without parents' help

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition education program to enable adolescents with type 1 diabetes to count carbohydrates without the parents' help. Methods: Nineteen adolescents with type 1 diabetes from a diabetes center participated in four fortnightly meetings of one hour, with lectures and discussions about healthy nutrition, importance of nutrients for blood glucose, portion sizes, food replacements, and carbohydrate counting therapy. All meetings ended with exercises to check the learning. Adolescents were followed for one year after the intervention. Results: All participants were 100% successful in all the steps of the program and started carbohydrate counting in the main meals. Nutritional status and total daily insulin doses before and after the study did not differ. After 12 months, 68% of the adolescents counted carbohydrates at all times, 16% did so in extra snacks, and 16% were suspended from the new therapy. Eighty percent of the parents were satisfied with the program, believing teenagers were trained in the new therapy. Conclusion: A short nutrition education program successfully trained adolescents to count carbohydrates without the parents' help.