Abstract

Background and Aim: Diabetes is considered as one of the most common and costly chronic diseases in children and adolescents. Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in adolescents. Studies have indicated that controlling diabetes during adolescence is a major challenge in diabetic people. This is due to continued physical and mental growth and development and other changes occurring during adolescence. Thus, continuous evaluation of their treatment needs is crucial and necessary. Nowadays, the standard of care for adolescents with diabetes is used for both caring for their diabetes treatment regimen and identifying their educational needs. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the self-care of adolescents with type 1 diabetes at the Iranian Diabetes Association. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 90 patients were selected among patients covered by the Diabetes Association in Tehran. Using a randomized block method, they were allocated to three groups of family-centered training, peer-centered training, and control group. Data were collected through demographic information questionnaire and a self-care questionnaire for adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Data were collected at the beginning of the study and three months later. In the family-centered training group, family health and self-care training were provided to the adolescent, and in the peer-centered training group, training was provided by the peers and the control group received only the routine training of the center. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software and Tukey, ANOVA, paired-t, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: The results of ANOVA test at the Diabetes Association revealed that the mean score of self-care did not differ significantly among three groups before the intervention (P = 0.971), but after the intervention, the mean of self-care score showed a significant difference among three groups (P<0.001). Tukey’s comparison test revealed no significant difference between the peer-centered training group and the family-centered training group (P = 0.0844), but a significant difference was observed between the peer-centered training group and the control group (P <0.001). There was also a significant difference between the family-centered training group and the control group (P <0.001), indicating the effect of peer-centered and family-centered training in this center. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that teaching self-care behaviors by family and peers can be an effective way to help control diabetes in patients and promoting it can be effective in decreasing the complications of diabetic patients.