Evaluation of a multicomponent, behaviorally oriented, problem-based "summer school" program for adolescents with diabetes.
A short summer camp lifts diabetes confidence yet leaves diet and glucose flat.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schlundt et al. (1999) ran a two-week summer school for teens with diabetes.
The program mixed problem-based learning with behavior therapy.
Staff taught kids to set goals, solve problems, and track blood sugar.
What they found
Kids felt more confident about handling diabetes.
Their problem-solving scores went up a little.
Yet daily food logs and blood glucose stayed the same.
How this fits with other research
Lopata et al. (2008) used the same summer-school plan for autistic teens.
They saw big gains in social skills, while G et al. saw only soft gains.
The difference: autism programs used daily practice and feedback loops.
Shepley et al. (2021) also show brief ABA can work—if families finish.
Drop-out was low in the diabetes camp, but the tasks were less complex.
Why it matters
You can boost teen confidence in just two weeks, but that alone will not move health numbers. Add repeated practice, clear feedback, and parent tracking if you want real behavior change. Use the camp to teach skills, then send home a daily contract and quick check-ins.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A 2-week summer school program, combining problem-based learning with behavior therapy, was developed to help adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes improve their ability to cope with obstacles to dietary management. Ten students participated in a first session, and 9 participated in a second session, serving as a waiting list control group. Outcomes were evaluated pre- and postsession and at a 4-month follow-up using 3-day food diaries, blood glucose data, and paper-and-pencil tests of diabetes-related knowledge, self-efficacy, coping strategies, and general problem solving. Improvements were observed in self-efficacy, problem-solving skills, and self-reported coping strategies. No significant changes were observed in daily intake of fat, cholesterol, calories, mean blood glucose levels or blood glucose variability, and diabetes knowledge. Comparisons between the first group and the waiting list control group do not allow the significant pre-post changes to be clearly attributed to the summer school program.
Behavior modification, 1999 · doi:10.1177/0145445599231004