Social support : a predictor of healthy lifestyle in adolescents with Type I diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school-aged children, affecting about 151,000 young people in the United States. About one in every 400-500 people under the age of 20 are affected (American Diabetes Association, 2004). Adolescence is a period of intense physical and emotional growth and change. The restrictions of diabetes management may interfere with the developmental tasks of adolescence (Berger, 1980). Support from family, healthcare professionals and peers may help the diabetic adolescent more successfully adjust to a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this study is to determine if social support from family, health professionals and peers predicts a healthy lifestyle in adolescents with Type I diabetes. The framework used to guide this study is the Health Promotion Model by Nola Pender. An estimated sample of 30 adolescent diabetics will be drawn from the diabetes clinic of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medial Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Questionnaire will be used along with a questionnaire based on model of compliance of adolescents with diabetes (Kyngas, 1999). Social support will be measured using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), a self-report instrument to measure dimensions of perceived social support (Norbeck et al., 1981, 1983). Permission will be obtained from Ball State University and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medial Center. Identifying social supports as a predictor of a healthy lifestyle may provide school nurses information about support within the school setting that could encourage healthy lifestyle among adolescent diabetics.School of Nursing"December 2005."Thesis (M.S.