Social Media Use in Adolescent Diabetes Care

Seattle Children's Healthcare System

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Type 1 Diabetes

Treatments: Behavioral: Social Media

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06085339

STUDY00004205

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a social media intervention to support diabetes management in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Adolescent participants will be randomized to receive diabetes education and peer support over Instagram or to usual outpatient diabetes care. Researchers will assess whether the social media intervention is feasible. In addition, the study team will also explore and compare changes in glucose levels and person-reported outcomes between the two groups.

Full description

The majority of adolescents with type 1 diabetes do not meet recommended glycemic targets, placing them at risk for acute and chronic diabetes-related complications. Strategies that improve adolescent diabetes self-management are needed. Social media offers new opportunities to provide diabetes education and peer support through communication in a digital environment.

As part of a randomized controlled trial, adolescent participants will be randomized to receive diabetes education and peer support over Instagram in addition to usual care or to standard outpatient diabetes care.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes ≥12 months
• Most recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level is > 7.0%
• Currently use Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system
• Speak English fluently
• Cognitively able to participate in program on Instagram and complete surveys
• Have access to a personal Instagram account
• Found to be eligible on the Social Media Preference Screener

Exclusion criteria

• Patient is a ward of the state
• Patient is pregnant as diabetes standard of care is different during pregnancy (i.e., different glycemic targets and frequency of clinic visits)
• Severe comorbidities including other major chronic health conditions that significantly impact daily management demands or health outcomes

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Social Media Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

In addition to receiving usual care, participants enrolled in the social media arm will receive diabetes education and support over the course of 6 months by following the study team's Instagram page and engaging with the study team and other adolescent participants on Instagram.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social Media

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual care reflects the standard treatment currently provided to adolescents living with type 1 diabetes. Every adolescent with diabetes is cared for by a team of diabetes specialists which includes a provider (MD, Physician Assistant and/or Nurse Practitioner), registered nurse, nutritionist and social worker. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes are seen by their multidisciplinary team approximately every 3 months. In addition, they have access to their multidisciplinary care team via telephone and/or MyChart communication as often as is necessary between clinic visits.