What helps children and young people manage their diabetes?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Childhood diabetes and treatment compliance: identifying risk factors for poor glycemic control.
IRAS ID
125180
Contact name
Kay Asquith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
The aim of this research project is to investigate the relationship between parental characteristics and poor glycemic control in child diabetes. Identifying parental characteristics that contribute to poor treatment compliance will allow for targeted family interventions and greater diabetes treatment success. Improving glycemic control will decrease the likelihood for future diabetes related complications, and thus decrease NHS expenses for such conditions. The participants of the study will be parents of children with diabetes who are being treated at the paediatric diabetic service at North Middlesex Hospital. Questionnaires regarding parental and familial attributes will be collected at onset, and glycemic control will be measured at time of referral and at three month intervals. It is hypothesized that higher levels of parental risk factors will be associated with greater severity of illness at time of referral and worse glycemic control throughout treatment. Parental characteristics to be examined include reaction to diabetes diagnosis, empathy and the capacity to understand the illness from the child’s perspective, levels of parental stress, family/cultural attitudes to food/diet, knowledge of diabetes, and life events. The study is expected to run for 1 year (while the student is undertaking her coursework).
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1698
Date of REC Opinion
24 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion