Exploring the efficacy of an applied diabetes numeracy intervention in a South African type 1 diabetic child population.
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Numeracy skills are vital for a child with diabetes as they need to be able to manage their \ndiabetes effectively, in order to protect one from the complications that come with diabetes. \nThere have been numerous studies that illustrate the poor numeracy skills in children with \ndiabetes. A numeracy intervention specifically related to diabetes was put into place to \nillustrate whether or not such an intervention is effective in improving a child’s diabetic \nnumeracy ability, which will lead to the improvement of diabetes self-management in the \nfuture. \nA Quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test - post-test non equivalent control group design \nwas conducted to explore the efficacy of an applied numeracy intervention in a South Africa \ntype 1 diabetic child population. The study group comprised of 58 children with type 1 \ndiabetes, each group consisted of 29 participants, and each participant in the experimental \ngroup was closely matched according to their level of formal education, grade, age and sex to \na research participant in the control group. Both groups were measured before and after the \nintervention. \nThe children were between the ages of 8 and 13. All participants were in formal education \nbetween Grades 3 and Grade 8. Results revealed that participants in both groups had lower \n‘functional’ grades as compared to their ‘actual grade’ level which suggests that they \nperformed below their expected grade level. Participants performed better in areas assessing \nbasic mathematical skills than areas which assessed applied diabetes mathematical skills. The \nintervention was shown to be effective as analyses revealed that there was a highly significant \ndifference (p<0.001) between the Pre and Post Test (applied mathematical sections) of the \nexperimental group which took part in the intervention. \nThis research is only the starting point for the assessment of the effectiveness of a numeracy \ncomponent in diabetes related education in South Africa, and through this one would hope \nthat more research in South Africa will be done in this area.
Author: Meagan Cronin
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2277419573