[Therapeutic and social determinants of the number of blood glucose tests performed at home by the diabetic child].

The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of the use of blood glucose tests by young diabetic children participating in a summer educational program. 425 children and adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied. The main source of the data was a questionnaire filled by the children and their parents about the use of urine and blood glucose tests during the 8 weeks before the camp and a questionnaire filled in by the Aide aux Jeunes Diabétiques (AJD) doctors about the practical knowledge of the management of the disease. The children were divided into 2 groups according to the level of their practical knowledge, "good" (n = 153) and "less good" (n = 272). In the whole group, the mean number of urine tests per day was 2.8, 75% of the children performing 3 tests per day and 4.3% not doing any urine tests. The number of blood tests is more variable; from 0 to 28 per week, with a mean of 5.6. In the group having "good" practical knowledge, the blood glucose tests were done 6 times per week, in connection with the number of hypoglycemia at home (p less than 0.01), the number of daily insulin injections (p less than 0.01) and the number of insulin supplements (p less than 0.05); there was a partial substitution between blood and urine tests. In the group having "less good" practical knowledge, the number of blood tests was 4 per week; it was not statistically different, but it was performed in the absence of detectable reasons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)