A brief, nurse-led educational intervention using motivational interviewing substantially improved general and disease-specific self-management skills in youth with type 1 diabetes.

Introduction and Objectives: For youth with chronic health conditions, adolescence is associated with a deterioration of disease self-management and poor health outcomes. Effective interventions are needed to prepare youth for transition to adulthood and adult care. To prospectively assess the impact of an education program based on motivational interviewing on self-management skills and glycemic control in youth with Type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Methods: After parental consent and youth assent, investigators prospectively randomized 66 adolescents 13-18 years old with type 1 diabetes to either usual care (regular medical consultation) or usual care supplemented by sessions with a nurse educator using a motivational interviewing (MI) approach and goal setting based on responses to the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) and T1D specific self-management skills. Primary outcomes were TRAQ change scores and HbA1c levels between baseline and 6 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
• Having an age between 13 and 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having a neurological disability (epilepsy, autism)
• Having a significant intellectual delay, which might have affected their ability to understand the content of the program