Increasing diabetes management among juveniles through the use of social media outlets

Diabetes is the fastest growing epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), over 25 million people are currently living with some form of diabetes. CDC further states that diabetes was one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The American Diabetes Association stated that 2 million preteens beginning at 11 years of age are at an increased risk for a diagnosis. Diabetes in children is a major health problem in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Management of a newly diagnosed chronic illness is often terrifying for teenagers. Noncompliance with treatment regimens predisposes patients to frequent hospital readmissions and other severe chronic illnesses. In keeping with the Healthy People 2020 goals of reducing the disease and the economic burden of diabetes, the Diabetes Nurse Advocacy Program (DNAP) was implemented and piloted in Philadelphia, PA. The main goals of the program is to 1) accomplish a one point drop in hemoglobin A1C in three months, 2) encourage self-monitoring of blood sugars at least four times a day, and 3) reporting of any abnormal results to nurse practitioners for adjustments in insulin. DNAP will use social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to provide proper education on diabetes to teens that find it difficult to manage their disease process alone. The long-term goals of DNAP are to increase compliance with treatment regimens while empowering participants in taking active roles in improving self-management of their chronic illness.