Summer camps for diabetic children: an experience in Antalya, Turkey

To evaluate the effectiveness of diabetic summer camps with objective parameters, we examined the data relative to summer camps organized by our department in Antalya in the last two years. The duration of the camps was 10 days. Twenty-eight diabetic children with an average age of 13.6 +/- 2.9 years (range 8-20) participated in the first camp, fourteen of whom participated in both camps. The medical personnel consisted of three pediatric endocrinologists, one psychologist, two diabetes nurses and two dietitians. Despite a mean 10% reduction in insulin dosage and 10% increment in daily calorie intake at the beginning of the camp, hypoglycemia was common (mean, 2.4 hypoglycemic episodes per subject). Ketoacidosis was not encountered in any of the subjects during and after camps. An increment in weight in children whose weights, with respect to heights, were under the ideal weight and a decrement in weight of overweight children were observed at the end of the first camp. A significant improvement in knowledge and self-management of the disease was noted at the end of the camps. Improvement in nutrition and diabetic knowledge level of the children who participated in these consecutive camps was more obvious in the second compared with that in the first camp. No significant change in HbA1c level was observed at follow-up. In conclusion, summer camps are an invaluable way for diabetic children to gain skills in managing their disease.