‘Child-friendly’ educational software to help diabetic children

June 4, 2001

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Children learning to cope with diabetes may soon get some assistance from a parrot, a magician and a genie.

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a test version of a software program that uses talking characters to teach young children how to monitor their blood sugar levels, a routine but essential aspect of living with diabetes.

“The reason we’re interested in diabetes is because it’s been shown that diabetics who tightly control their blood glucose levels have far few complications than those who don’t,” said Dr. Richard Melker, a University of Florida anesthesiology professor. “We wanted to give the information to children in a way they could use it.”

Melker said studies show many of the 15.7 million people in the nation who suffer from diabetes don’t adequately monitor their blood sugar levels or take appropriate steps to treat abnormal readings. That places them at considerable health risk and results in significant but avoidable health care costs, he said.

Blood sugar monitors now on the market come with half-inch thick manuals that are hard for adults to read and understand. And few educational materials are aimed specifically at children, even though about 1.5 million children have diabetes, he said.

Melker, assistant anesthesiology Professor Hans van Oostrom and Krupant Vora, a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering, designed the program as part of research sponsored by the UF Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

The interactive program explains the blood monitoring process using stories, pictures and activities. Aimed at children as young as 4, it begins with a lesson on how to use a computer mouse and slowly proceeds to the specifics of blood sugar monitoring — including the scary task of pricking the finger to obtain a blood sample. The characters deliver lessons with the help of coconuts and other digital props.

“The basic idea was that these characters would make the task easier and would provide a fun learning experience for the students,” Vora said.

The program has a memory function, so children who successfully complete one lesson don’t have to repeat it when they return for another lesson. For the test version, the animated characters were downloaded for free from Microsoft, but future versions might use Warner Brothers or Disney characters, Melker said.

Other software could make the program even more useful, van Oostrom said. For example, UF researchers are working on a program that allows diabetics to type in information about recent meals and receive tailored advice about their diet. Future versions could even allow a child or adult’s glucose and diet status to be uploaded automatically to a diabetes specialist, who could then provide advice and guidance via e-mail.

The researchers received a $20,000 grant from the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program to develop the program. The grant is one of about a dozen seed grants awarded annually to UF engineering and medical faculty members and/or graduate students working jointly on biomedical research projects. The purpose of the grants is to help UF researchers develop “proof of concept” test versions or prototypes that will help generate support and interest in the private sector.

Melker said UF researchers have patented the broad idea of using interactive computer programs to teach about medical procedures. He and van Oostrom are currently looking for a partner to help perfect and market the glucose monitoring program, he said.