Abstract

SERRABULHO, L.; MATOS, M.G.; NABAIS, J.V.  and  RAPOSO, J.F.. Health education in youth with type 1 diabetes. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2015, vol.16, n.1, pp.70-85. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/15psd160208.

The social, occupational, familiar and emotional changes during youth can affect adherence to diabetes management tasks and quality of life of youngsters with type 1 diabetes. Therapeutic Patient Education provided by the multidisciplinary team can be a very important tool to help young people to surpass difficulties. The objectives of this research consisted on the evaluation of health behaviours and lifestyles, social support and satisfaction about the educational activities of youngsters with type 1 diabetes. This research included quantitative studies with 91 adolescents and 278 young adults, a qualitative study with 41 adolescents and satisfaction studies’ evaluation relating to educational activities.Satisfaction with life is 7.2±1.7 in adolescents and 6.6 ±1.7in young adults (scale 0-10).Youngsters have healthy eating habits and satisfactory adherence to physical activity,insulin therapy and glucose monitoring but they present high mean value of HbA1c. Youngsters consider having a good social support from multidisciplinary health team and refer the benefits of group education sessions and summer camps with other youngsters with type 1 diabetes that help them to live better with diabetes.The youngsters showed satisfactory lifestyles, good social support and satisfaction with life, a reasonable adherence to diabetes treatment, however with a less optimal metabolic control of diabetes.It is recommended the continuity of multidisciplinary team investment on therapeutic patient education to promote the motivation of youngsters to treatment adherence involving the peers with diabetes in group education and leisure activities according to participants’ needs, wishes and difficulties.

Keywords : youngsters; type 1 diabetes; health behaviours; lifestyle; therapeutic patient education.

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