Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the utilization of a childhood diabetes self-care support system using tablet-type portable devices aimed to improve self-care ability and sense of self-efficacy in children with childhood diabetes. The subjects consisted of 15 children with type 1 diabetes, aged from 9 to 18 years. The subjects were asked to input data such as blood glucose levels during the diabetes camp on a specialized application that we developed for tablet devices. Changes in the summary of diabetes self-care activities (SDSCA) measure and self-efficacy scale scores were analyzed before using the system, immediately after using the system, and 1 month later. The system was evaluated based on the evaluation scores of the application and children's reactions while using the system. SDSCA measure scores significantly increased immediately after the camp. Enjoying the system to record their data and looking over their own data on a graph screen in an integrated fashion, children were able to easily link their behavior and insulin dosage to their blood glucose control. The results suggested that this system has the educational effects of encouraging children to be aware of their blood glucose levels and generate motivation for controlling it.
