School-Based Management of Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Recommendations, Advances, and Gaps in Knowledge

Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) spend much of their waking time in the school environment. However, there is limited empirical understanding of the challenges youth face in managing their T1D at school. There is even less literature focused on potential interventions to improve health or psychological outcomes in youth with T1D in this milieu. This review seeks to summarize the recent literature on diabetes T1D management in the school setting, including recommendations for care, barriers, and targets for intervention.

T1D organizations recommend strong collaboration amongst families, school personnel, and health care providers to enable successful T1D management in schools. While challenges remain according to parent, child, and teacher reports, perceptions of school-based management of T1D show signs of improvement. The few existing school-based intervention studies have generally focused on educational or structural interventions to improve diabetes care. The management of T1D within the school setting is critical for overall diabetes management. While barriers to effective T1D care have been examined, a greater understanding of the impact of new diabetes technologies and well-characterized interventions is lacking in this area.