Effectiveness of the “Carbohydrate Counting” Teaching Aid in Pediatric Diabetes

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of diabetes in children and adolescents is increasing rapidly, reflecting inappropriate nutrition, which creates health problems and increases the risk of complications. In addition, diabetes in children and adolescents also means a longer infliction compared to adults that develop the condition later in life. Therefore, the research team chose a ‘Carbohydrate Counting’ teaching aid to provide targeted health education for young diabetic patients in combination with nutritional snack modelling.
Objective: To ensure that young patients and their families are equipped with the necessary skills to assess foods that are appropriate for the disease. The study looked at the effectiveness of carbohydrate counting.
Methods: The teaching aid was used in 30 young diabetic patients who volunteered to be part of the study.
Each patient received individual nutritional counseling, which was followed up over a period of 3 months.
Results: The study found that patients that received counseling using the ‘Carbohydrate Counting’ teaching
aid were able to control their blood sugar level better than before receiving counseling. There was a significant increase of knowledge from a mean score of 6.333 and standard deviation of 1.709 during the pre-test to a mean score of 20.467 and standard deviation of 4.666 during the post-test. The increase is statistically significant at
p-value < 0.001.
Conclusion: Each patient received a regular follow-up from a multidisciplinary team for a period of 3 to 6 months to review their knowledge and change their consumption habits under the pluralistic culture in a way that was appropriate for their treatment until the patients had sufficient knowledge to live healthily in the society.