A Novel Program to Help Teens Manage Type 1 Diabetes during Physical Activity-Diabetes Training Camp Teen Boot Camp

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) has many health benefits in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet adolescents with T1D engage in less PA than their peers and may struggle to employ strategies that allow them to participate fully and maintain glucose levels in target range. Diabetes Training Camp Teen Boot Camp (DTC-TBC) is an intensive 3-day program that includes education and workouts geared for teens with T1D and their parents/guardians. We aimed to determine if indicators of psychosocial (confidence in glucose management during PA, positive experience, barriers to PA) and health (HbA1c) changed after attending DTC-TBC in summer 2022. Methods: DTC-TBC participants included 16 adolescents aged 13-18 years (HbA1c=7.3±1.4%; 25% female). Most used a continuous glucose monitor (93%) and insulin pump (69%) to manage T1D. Participants completed questionnaires on the first day of camp (baseline), last day of camp and 1 month after camp. Paired t-tests were used to compare 1) mean 7-point Likert scale scores for confidence in managing T1D (1 = not confident, 7= very confident) before and immediately post camp and 2) mean scores on the Barriers to PA in T1D and reported HbA1c before and 1-month post camp (n=11). Results: Both parents and teens reported high satisfaction with the DTC-TBC experience; 100% of participants said they would recommend DTC-TBC. Confidence in managing T1D significantly increased (baseline 4.9±1.2 vs post-camp 6.0±0.6; p<0.0001). Teens reported lower barriers to PA 1-month post-camp (baseline 25.0±14.3, 1 month 21.5±8.0; p=0.170). HbA1c decreased by 0.26% 1 month after camp (95% CI −0.18, 0.70; p=0.106). Conclusions: Barriers to PA and HbA1c both trended towards significant reductions even with a small sample size, whereas confidence significantly increased. Follow-up at regular intervals and inclusion of future camp participants will help determine if DTC-TBC has a statistically significant positive impact on psychosocial and health outcomes. Disclosure K.M.Simmons: Advisory Panel; Provention Bio, Inc., Consultant; Dexcom, Inc., Provention Bio, Inc., Research Support; Novartis. J.D.Hall: None. H.K.O'donnell: None. J.P.Deblois: None. B.Tanner: None. C.Ferri: None. D.P.Zaharieva: Advisory Panel; Dexcom, Inc., Research Support; Hemsley Charitable Trust, International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes, Insulet Corporation, Speaker's Bureau; American Diabetes Association, Ascensia Diabetes Care, Medtronic. R.Powell: None. M.H.Corcoran: Speaker's Bureau; Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance, Novo Nordisk.