Mobile Phone Technology for Children with Diabetes: A Parent Survey

Research Objective

We surveyed parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to identify their concerns related to their children's diabetes and assess the relationship between these concerns and parental attitudes toward a glucometer integrated into a mobile phone that could provide parents and healthcare providers with a child's real-time glucose readings via text message and a secure website. 

Drivers

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents; about 151,000 people below the age of 20 years old have diabetes (Centers for Disease Control). Each year, more than 13,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The obesity epidemic and a low level of physical activity among young people is contributing to an increasing number of children with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually diagnosed in adults over 40 years old. According to the American Diabetes Association, one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has Type 1 diabetes, and 2 million adolescents (1 in 6 overweight adolescents) aged 12-19 have pre-diabetes.  

Program Overview

We conducted a cross-sectional Web-based survey of parents with children ages 10-19 years (125 with T1DM and 77 with T2DM).  Parental concerns were grouped by (1) access to their child's provider, (2) parenting challenges, and (3) knowledge about managing their child's diabetes.

Results

Over two-thirds (69.3%) of the parents had a 'very positive' response to the proposed mobile phone glucometer (blood sugar or glucose monitor) prototype. More than half of parents expressed interest in signing up for the service.

Parental concerns and the willingness to adopt mobile-phone-based technology to help monitor and communicate their children's diabetes are likely tied to the unmet need of parents, including provider access, limited available information and support, and the complex management of children with diabetes. Nearly 30% of parents (27.7%) reported they would 'definitely sign up' for the prototype mobile phone glucometer service, and another 27.7% reported they would 'probably sign up.'

Overall, parents expressed most concern with access to their child's provider, with 84.9% of parents wanting shorter waiting times and 78.7% easier phone access to their physician. 77.8% stated they would like to be able to contact their provider via email to discuss their child's diabetes.

Conclusions

Study participants - particularly parents with provider access concerns or a child with T2DM - were receptive to adopting novel health technology to help manage their chirldren's diabetes. Adoption of such tools is most likely driven by the unmet needs of parents.

This study was published in J Diabetes Sci Technol 2009;3(6):1481-1489.