title: Accuracy of blood glucose estimation by children with diabetes: an investigation of repeated practice with growth curve modeling.
abstract: This study used growth curve modeling to explore whether practicing the task of estimating blood glucose levels would increase accuracy in children with type 1 diabetes. It was predicted that accuracy would improve with practice and that younger, anxious, poorly adjusted children would improve most. 43 attendees at a diabetes summer camp participated. Their mean age was 13.4 yr. (SD = 1.6). All were Euro-American, and 22 were girls. Change in accuracy was best represented by a quadratic function, and this model fit the data well. Overall, participants' accuracy improved initially and then deteriorated. Results indicate that older children were more likely to improve and then deteriorate. Younger children were more likely to improve and sustain those improvements. Results indicate that practicing the task of estimating is not an effective way to increase accuracy and may be contra-indicated. These results can help guide research and clinical use of glucose estimation in children.
authors.affiliation: School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA. juwagner@uchc.edu
authors.forename: Julie Ann
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002165:Camping; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose