Comprehension of the disease and implementation of medical treatment behaviors as perceived by early elementary school-aged children with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

 Understanding a child’s perceptions of the disease and medical treatment behaviors can be helpful in supporting children with type 1 diabetes. This interview survey aimed to describe the understanding and medical treatment behavior management of early elementary school-aged children with type 1 diabetes. We analyzed qualitatively the data of 21 early elementary school-aged children with type 1 diabetes. The results showed that regarding their understanding of the disease, seven (33.3％) responded with the diagnosis name as type 1 diabetes and five (23.8％) described subjective symptoms and the necessity for injections. Moreover, nine (42.9％) stated they have not heard about their disease. Regarding the implementation of medical treatment behaviors, ＞80％ of the patients performed blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections alone. Regarding the understanding of the association between disease and medical treatment behaviors, six (28.6％) described a consistent understanding, while 13 (61.9％) were partial. Accordingly, if the child’s ability to implement the medical treatment behaviors has improved and stabilized, healthcare providers should be encouraged to deepen the understanding of medical treatment behaviors for children.