# COMPLIANCE AND CONTROL IN CHILDHOOD DIABETES

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 1994 · $43,155

## Abstract

This program of research addresses psychological/health status
relationships in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
Psychological variables that should have a direct bearing on the child's
health were selected for initial study.  A causal model was developed in
which patient and parent knowledge about diabetes, patient and parent
attitudes toward diabetes, and parental supervision of the child were
presumed to relate to adherence with the diabetes regimen, and adherence,
in turn, was presumed to relate to diabetes control.  Although adherence
was predicted reasonably well by the model, the link between adherence and
diabetes control proved problematic.  In a series of cross-sectional and
longitudinal investigations, few significant associations between adherence
and diabetes control emerged.  When significant associations did occur,
they were weak in magnitude and/or highly complex, involving interactions
with other variables (e.g., patient age, disease duration, diabetes control
at the study's inception).  The proposed application explores
adherence/diabetes control linkages further using a longitudinal research
design with adolescents who have had the disease for 3 years or more.  The
disease duration requirement was selected to eliminate variability due to
endogenous insulin replacement in youngsters more recently diagnosed.  The
longitudinal design was selected to permit measurement of change in the
model constructs selected for study. Adolescents are of particular interest
because they are less adherent and are in worse diabetes control than their
younger counterparts.  Yet, prior causal models have failed to identify
strong, consistent and significant paths between adolescents' adherence
behaviors and their diabetes control.  Maturational changes associated with
puberty may exert a negative influence on diabetes control during this
developmental period; this hypothesis will be tested in the research
proposed.  Once these biological changes are statistically modelled,
adherence/diabetes control relationships may be more readily discerned.
However, it is also possible that our prior conceptualization of adherence
is faulty.  To address this issue, four different conceptualizaions of
adherence will be compared.  Similarly, measures of diabetes control have
been expanded in an effort to tap adherence/diabetes control linkages in a
more sensitive manner.  Finally, this application proposes to examine both
main effects of adherence, pubertal status, and insulin dose and to explore
possible interactions between adherence and the other model constructs, as
predictors of diabetes control.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197040
- **Project number:** 5R01HD013820-13
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NNFQH1JAPEP3
- **Principal Investigator:** SUZANNE BENNETT JOHNSON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $43,155
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1980-12-01 → 1995-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197040

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197040, COMPLIANCE AND CONTROL IN CHILDHOOD DIABETES (5R01HD013820-13). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197040. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*