British Diabetic Association holidays--what are they worth?

A postal survey among families of 63 children attending two BDA educational holidays studied their expectations before (Questionnaire 1) and experiences 3 months afterwards (Questionnaire 2). Of 47 families replying to both questionnaires (22M, 25F; mean age 8.4 years, range 5-13.8 years), expectations expressed by parents for their children were that they gain in confidence and independence (n = 36), mix with other diabetic children (n = 32), learn to self-inject (n = 27), improve diet (n = 23), and have a good holiday (n = 10). Thirty-five families subsequently reported that their expectations had been met. After the holiday, although there was no change in frequency of blood or urine testing, there was an increase in children doing tests on their own (Q1: 15, Q2: 28, p = 0.003); more parents reported confidence in their child recognizing a hypoglycaemic episode (Q1: 29, Q2: 39, p = 0.001); and there was a sustained increase in independence with insulin injections (Q1: 29, Q2: 35, p = 0.042). This study provides evidence that BDA holidays benefit parents and their children, and do so mainly by increasing the children's confidence and independence in diabetic care.