Pitt Pediatrics congratulates Christine A. March, MD, MS, instructor in the Division of Endocrinology, on her study investigating adverse effects of virtual schooling on children with type 1 diabetes.
Featured February 14 by Endocrine Today and published in The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care, parents of type 1 diabetic children reported multiple stressors and impacts due to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many parents reported difficulties balancing their child's diabetes management with their own employment, helping with school assignments, and having multiple children enrolled in virtual learning simultaneously.
72 percent of surveyed parents reported managing their child's diabetes at home, with most survey participants doing so at the same time they were working from home. This is in contrast to pre-pandemic routines involving use of school staff or their children managing their care independently.
March's research found parents of adolescents aged 12 years and older were more likely to develop poor diet, sleep habits, and glycemic control due to virtual learning. Increased snacking was a key negative outcome that surfaced in the parent surveys.
PHOTO: Christine A. March, MD, MS. Credit: UPMC