Diabetes Dateline

CHID Online: What's New?

Managing Your Child's Diabetes

If your child has diabetes, where can you find practical advice about everyday family living? If you are a health professional counseling a worried couple with a newly diagnosed child, how can you help?

CHID Online, the Internet-accessible Combined Health Information Database (CHID), abstracts educational materials on diabetes and other diseases for the general public, patients, and health professionals. Using recent CHID Online entries, people can identify and then order educational materials. These materials can keep them up to date on management approaches, currently used insulins, and suggestions on helping children follow healthy meal plans and exercise routines.

CHID Online lists videotapes in English and Spanish and other languages for home and clinical use. The database also includes materials for caregivers such as school teachers and sports directors. Finally, CHID Online lists a growing number of materials that offer insight into the family, social, and psychological impact of diabetes during the often-difficult teen years.

CHID information specialists and librarians helped choose the following listings, which were entered into CHID Online in the past few years. (Please note that materials produced before 1995 will not contain current nutritional recommendations and food exchange lists.)

The DPTeens! Diabetes Meets Its Match—Teen Heroes. Comic book (English). Glenn Herdling. 1999. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 20 pages.

This comic book helps young people learn about diabetes and spread the word about the Diabetes Prevention Trial—Type 1 (DPT-1) through the story of a boy whose brother has been diagnosed with diabetes. The boy is asked to participate with his family in DPT-1, but a lack of knowledge and fear of diabetes cause him to refuse. After meeting the DPTeens, three teenagers who are participating in the DPT-1 and whose natural abilities were enhanced by aliens with diabetes, the boy decides to participate and help educate others about diabetes.

The comic book describes type 1 diabetes and its symptoms, explains how it affects the lives of those who have it, and includes information on DPT-1. Teens are encouraged to help spread the word about diabetes and DPT-1 and to do their part to help advance diabetes research.

Available through the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), 1 Information Way, Bethesda, MD 20892–3560. Single copy free; $10.00 for a package of 25. Order number DM-198. 301–654–3327.

Parenting a Diabetic Child. Book (English), videocassettes (English or Spanish). Gloria Loring. 1993. Lowell House, Los Angeles; Contemporary Books, Chicago, IL. 175 pages.

Singer and television performer Gloria Loring became active in promoting diabetes education as she learned to care for her son Brennan, who has diabetes. Why would a TV soap opera star write about diabetes?

"I was inundated with letters from parents asking how to handle daily details of their lives with [children with diabetes]," she recalls. To help her fans, she wrote a book and produced videotapes in both English and Spanish. She teaches about diabetes itself, diabetes management, nutrition, family life, and stress management. The videotapes (roughly 45 minutes each) are available for $20, plus $3 shipping, and the book is $13, plus $3 shipping. Both are available from JDFI, Los Angeles Chapter, 1020 South Arroyo Parkway, Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105. Tel. 626–403–1480.

Caring for Young Children Living with Diabetes: Parent Manual and Caring for Young Children Living with Diabetes: Professional Manual. Two books. Margaret T. Lawlor, Lori M. B. Laffel, Barbara Anderson, Anna M. Bertorelli. 1996. Joslin Publications, Boston, MA. 108 pages (parent manual), 125 pages (professional manual).

This duo of soft-cover manuals serves both parents and diabetes health professionals. The parent manual breaks down the information into four sections: the basic definitions and descriptions of type 1 diabetes; the child's health care team, with guidelines for medical assessment and checkups; diabetes treatment plans, including insulin, meal planning, physical activity, and blood glucose self-monitoring; and family education. Write-in pages can be used to educate day care providers and school caregivers by outlining the child's special diabetes needs. The professional manual covers many of the same topics, with instructions on dealing with "easy," "difficult," and "slow-to-warm-up" children, and with family responses to living with diabetes. Professionals will find topic outlines convenient for parent education sessions. Handout pages include protocols for blood sugar checks and insulin injection. An injection guide shows a child's torso instead of an adult's. Each manual is available for $6.95, plus $4 for shipping, from Joslin Publications, One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215. Tel: 1–800–344–4501.

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