Evaluation of a Web-Based Tool for Parents of Teens with Type 1 Diabetes

Parents of teens with type 1 diabetes (T1D) report challenges in maintaining involvement with diabetes care while supporting teen autonomy. We developed a web-based tool to support parents in this transition—Type 1 Teamwork—that provides interactive content and video vignettes of real families on challenges and strategies to transition T1D care from parent to teen. The purpose of this study was to determine the reach (demographic characteristics), participation (web usage and engagement) and short-term effects (parenting stress, perceived stress, parental support for teen autonomy, family conflict, teen A1C) of Type 1 Teamwork. Parents of teens with T1D (11-16 years) were randomized to Type 1 Teamwork (n=81) or a control group (n=81). Parents were 45.6 (±5.3) years of age, 98% female, 91% white, 91% married/partnered, 51% high income, 36% with elevated depressive symptoms, and 40% with elevated anxiety symptoms. Teens had a mean A1C of 7.9 (±1.2), T1D duration of 5.(±3.62) years, with 75% using a pump, 69% using a CGM, and 39% reporting 20 or more episodes of hypoglycemia in the previous 3 months. There were no significant differences between groups on baseline characteristics. Eighty-two percent (n=133) of participants completed 3-month data collection. Parents in the Type 1 Teamwork group who did not access the tool (n=6) were excluded from the comparative analyses. Type 1 Teamwork was accessed a total of 453 times and had 6,614 total pages viewed, with an average of 15 pages and 11 minutes per visit. There was less frequent parenting emotional distress (p=.04) and trends for less family conflict (p=.14) in the Type 1 Teamwork group, with no short-term effect on perceived stress, parental support for autonomy, or teen A1C in change scores over 3 months. Ongoing usage of Type 1 Teamwork may further enhance outcomes in parents of teens with T1D, which we will evaluate at 6 months. More research is needed to engage lower income families in the use of websites to support parent-teen teamwork in T1D.