Objective: To examine adolescent preferences related to the use of social media (SM) as a tool to manage their type 1 diabetes (T1D) with their diabetes care team.

Methods: Adolescents with T1D (13-18 years old) in the Seattle, WA area were surveyed from August-December 2019 about their SM use and interest in communicating with their diabetes care team over SM.

Results: 232 adolescents with T1D completed the survey (response rate = 53%); mean age 15.1 years, 94% used SM, 85% used SM at least once/day. Approximately 70% indicated that if given the option, they were very likely or somewhat likely to communicate with their diabetes provider on SM. Over 72% shared they were very likely or somewhat likely to use SM direct messaging to ask urgent questions and 64% would use it for non-urgent questions. A majority of participants agreed that they would want to receive educational material (62%) and insulin dose adjustment support over SM (58%); Figure. Most agreed that SM communication would facilitate increased independent communication (61%) and positively impact patient-care team relationships (63%). A minority of participants (38%) reported privacy concerns.

Conclusions: Adolescents with T1D expressed interest in using SM to support diabetes management and increase direct engagement with their diabetes care team. Healthcare teams should explore the use of SM to provide tailored support to adolescents with T1D.

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Disclosure

F. Malik: None. M.A. Moreno: None. R. Mangione-Smith: None. C. Pihoker: None. A.M. Ellyson: None. H. Gill: None. K. Chalmers: None. D. Christakis: None.

Funding

National Institutes of Health (K23DK119465)

© 2020 by the American Diabetes Association
2020
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