Effectiveness of an Online Type 1

Diabetes Educational Module for

School Teachers
Stephanie Aubrey, MD, FRCP(C)
Consultant Pediatrician
September 4, 2014

I have no disclosures or conflicts of interest.

Project is funded by Division Pediatric Endocrinology,
IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada.

I started to feel really weird and like I was shaking and

getting sweaty and I felt a bit strange so I couldnt
really tell Mr. Simms and speak and he kind of just
looked at me weird and asked if I was ok, but luckily
Harvey (a school friend) knew what was wrong and he
went to my box and got the [juice] and gave it me and it
was ok my friends said Mr. Simms was just sort of
staring and he didnt move.- - - Finlay, aged 14 with diabetes.

Background Information
School management:
Frequent blood sugar checks
Adjustments of insulin with
activity/meals/snacks
Managing blood sugar highs and lows

Teachers knowledge of
Type 1 diabetes is limited
www.diabetes.ca/files/standardsofcare.pdf

Background Information
Education of teachers in Halifax Regional Municipality
Responsibility of parents as educators

Literature Review
Studies have looked at following methods of
education:
Videos
Pamphlets
Question and answer sessions
Parental education

Web based education has been successful

1. Gesteland HM, Sims S, Lindsay RN. Diabetes Educ. 1989.
2. Jarrett L, Hillam K, Bartsch C, Lindsay R. Diabetes Educ. 1993.
3. Siminerio LM, Koerbel G. Pract Diab Int. 2000;17.
4. Radjenovic D, Wallace FL. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2001.
5. Zubas P, Heiss C, Pederson M. Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 2006.

Online Educational Module

Development of Online Educational Module by diabetes
team at IWK

Research Question
Is an online educational module an effective method of
improving knowledge of Type 1 diabetes in Bachelor of
Education (B.Ed.) students?

Methods: Study population

All B.Ed. students from Mount Saint Vincent University
and Acadia University enrolled in elementary and
secondary school streams: year 1 and year 2
Inclusion criteria:
as above

Exclusion criteria:
Students with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes

Study Design

Outcomes
Primary Outcome: To determine if there is a significant
difference between pre- and immediately post- (short
term) as well as pre- and 6 weeks post- (long term)
diabetes knowledge questionnaire scores in a group of
B.Ed. students who are trained using an online
diabetes education module.
Secondary Outcome: To determine whether there are
personal or demographic factors that correlate with
improved test scores.

B.Ed. Student Demographics

% of
participants

Female

Friend

Primary Outcome
Mean questionnaire scores

Mean Score
(out of 25)

Pre-module
Questionnaire

Post-questionnaire

Post-questionnaire
(6 weeks)

14.98

21.68

20.70

Comparison between mean questionnaire scores

Mean
Difference

Confidence Intervals (95%)

Pre-module questionnaire (out of 25) Post questionnaire (out of 25)

-6.700

(-7.762, -5.638)

Post questionnaire (out of 25) - post

questionnaire 6 weeks (out of 25)

.983

(0.511, 1.45)

Pre-module questionnaire (out of 25) post questionnaire 6 weeks (out of 25)

-5.717

(-6.757, -4.677)

Significance
p<0.01
< 0.01
< 0.01
<0.01

Primary Outcome
Diabetes Knowledge (mean + 95% CI)
25

Mean score

20

15

10

pre module

post module
Stage of Study

6 weeks post

Secondary Outcome
Comparison between mean pre-module questionnaire
scores in students with and without previous diabetes education.

Pre-module
Questionnaire

Previous
Diabetes
Education

N= 60

Yes

21

Mean
Significance Confidence
Score
(p <0.01)
Interval
(out of 25)
(95 %)
17.14

0.006
No

39

13.82

(0.98-5.67)

Results: Qualitative Analysis

Results: Qualitative Analysis

Fears
I would be nervous that I would give the wrong amount of
insulin.
What if I didnt recognize the symptoms or dont act quickly
enough?
Fear of needles. Have never used one before.

Discussion
Improvement in Type 1 diabetes knowledge
Knowledge retention
Students with previous education had higher initial
scores
Need identified for more education in B.Ed. program

Discussion
Small sample size
Difficulty accessing B.Ed. Programs in Nova Scotia

B.Ed. students versus qualified teachers

Discussion
Improvement of IWK online module
Consider online modules for other childhood illnesses
in classroom

www.diabetes.org.uk

Thank You!

Access Module at:

http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/
page/video-diabetes-school

References
1. Gesteland HM, Sims S, Lindsay RN. Evaluation of two approaches to
educating elementary schoolteachers about insulin- dependent
diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Educ. 1989 Nov-Dec;15(6):510-3.
2. Jarrett L, Hillam K, Bartsch C, Lindsay R. The Effectiveness of
Parents Teaching Elementary School Teachers About Diabetes
Mellitus. Diabetes Educ. 1993;19(3): 193-197.
3. Siminerio LM, Koerbel G. A diabetes education program for school
personnel. Pract Diab Int. 2000;17(6):174-177.
4. Radjenovic D, Wallace FL. Computer-Based Remote Diabetes
Education for School Personnel.
Diabetes Technol Ther. 2001; 3 (4):601-607.
5. Zubas P, Heiss C, Pederson M. Comparing the Effectiveness of a
Supplemental Online Tutorial to Traditional Instruction with Nutritional
Science Students. Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 2006;5(1):7581.

Characteristics
Gender
Female
Male

Results

Age (avg. age years)

Year Bachelor of Education
Year 1
Highest level education prior to B.Ed.
Some university
Bachelors Degree
Doctorate
Area of training prior to B.Ed.
Arts
Science
Other
Knowledge of someone with diabetes
Parent
Sibling
Partner
Close Friend
Child
Other
None
Previous Education Type 1 Diabetes
No
Yes
Source of Education
Physician
Nurse
Parents
Child
University Course
Pamphlets, books
Television
Other

N= 60

Percent (%)

56
4

93.3
6.7

25
60

100

2
57
1

3.3
95
1.7

51
9
3

85
15
5

5
0
1
17
2
31
13

8.3
0
1.7
28.3
3.3
51.6
21.7

39
21

65
35

3
4
11
3
7
9
4
9

5
6.7
18.3
5
11.7
15
6.7
15