Structured pet care for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes has been found to bring significant improvements in the maintenance and management of their blood glucose levels, a study has revealed.
"Teenagers are one of the most difficult patient populations to treat, mainly because of the many psychosocial factors associated with that stage of life," said Dr. Olga Gupta, one of the authors of the study conducted at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, in a press release. "We learned that instructing families to associate regular pet fish care with the child's standard diabetes care significantly improved their hemoglobin A1C levels," she added.
The researchers observed 28 subjects, between the ages of 10 and 17, who had Type 1 diabetes mellitus. They were given fish inside fish bowls and the instructions for its care. This included feeding the fish twice a day and changing the water in the bowl once a week. They were also instructed to check their blood sugar levels after they have done these tasks and log this for monitoring.
The researchers said that there was a .5 percent decrease in the A1C levels of the children, but the younger kids had shown more pronounced effect, especially in terms of behavioral intervention. Those between 10 to 13 years old had a greater decrease in their blood sugar levels, which the experts also attribute to the children being more eager to do the tasks than the older kids.
The study also saw the importance of parental involvement in helping the kids establish routines in monitoring blood glucose levels. It helped define the responsibilities of owning a pet alongside managing diabetes at home. It triggered the children to become responsible in checking their blood sugars regularly and by developing a routine early on, children with diabetes will be able to deal with their disease better and perhaps reduce complications later in in life.
The study was published in The Diabetes Educator.
