Ideation

THE GOAL 

My main goal is to find a stress reliever for diabetic teenagers.  Over the course of a few weeks I have developed an idea that seems to fit their needs.  I have now expanded my goal to help teens with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.  

THE IDEA

      The idea that combined all of my different ideas is Diabetic Play. Diabetic Play is an after school program for all diabetic teenagers. There would be several activities that the student could do to relieve stress.

      Thought the research I have conducted, I have realized that physical activity is a huge stress reliever.  I was thinking of having a diabetic sports teams that could play each other in a variety of different sports.  Some teams could be basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, or swimming.  The program could be held at local YMCAs across America.

      Coloring books are a great stress reliever that are becoming more popular in adults. The coloring books are simple and relaxing so the artist can color in a stress free way.  The diabetic teens would be able to reserve a room at their school or local YMCAs for coloring sessions with one another.  This would be a great way for teens to sit and talk to one another about their complications with their disease and receive their stress.  Being able to talk to someone that understands is a great way to vent out their problems. 

THE PURPOSE 

The whole purpose of these programs are to give these teens a way to stop thinking about the world and just have fun for a few hours of the day. If diabetic teens are under a lot of stress it causes their usual symptoms to intensify.  Some major symptoms are shaking and headaches.  If diabetic teens do not take care of their bodies then their health risks and complications get worse.  According to the department of heath the major complications include; heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. 

THE CHALLENGES 

The challenges of these programs include the cost of the programs and how many students would participate in them.  Would their be too few or too many students? How much money will the programs cost? Would YMCAs offer the program? Will renting the rooms be a problem or conflict other YMCA programs? Will the teens like the activities? 

The programs would include additional YMCA workers to run the program and chaperone the teens.  A room in the YMCA building would need to be reserved for Thursday and Friday activities.  There would also need to have a TV or projector provided to screen the movie. Tables and chairs would need to be there for painting and coloring.  Paper, markers, colored pencils, and paint would need to be provided for crafts.  This program will be provided by the YMCA and its funding will be provided by local sponsors.  

Interpretation

Results

LEARNINGS

Over the past few weeks I have been gathering information about how teenagers deal with Type 1 Diabetes.  Over the course of surveys and field trips I have found some results that I never thought I would have found.  

First, I started with a survey from SurveyMonkey.com to get a few simple questions out and into the public. I asked if the teens tracked their diet, symptoms, highs and lows, and insulin intake on a daily basis. Next, I asked what some of the physical symptoms of the disease were.  Stacey, 19, responded saying she felt “shaky” and “confused” because of the lows in her blood sugar.  Then, I asked them what the hardest part of Type 1 was.  I thought it would be the physical demands of the disease but I was wrong. One teen said “Checking my blood sugar in front of my friends. When I'm with a group of people, I don't give insulin for food or check my blood sugar because I'm self conscious.” I never thought that the hardest part of the disease would be psychological instead of physical. 

Over this summer I visited Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts with my sister.  I remember the cold waiting room and just feeling nervous.  I had nothing to worry about but I do remember the small TV on the wall and a few magazines in the corner of the room.  There was no difference between this youth waiting room and the adult waiting room next door.  

I also checked out some online support systems. A lot of teen’s seemed to use social media as their diary/ venting source.  The Twitter account @type1girl and the Facebook group Teen Diabetic Support Group give great advice and inspirational paragraphs. 

THEMES

All the subjects talked about the same symptoms and had the same problems managing their blood sugar before, during, and after physical activity.  Another theme is that all of the subjects tracked their diet, symptoms, highs and lows, and insulin intake.  They also all agreed that there should be a more simple way to track all of these factors of their disease.  

INSIGHTS

I also realized that all of the subjects said that they were stressed.  Being stressed is a normal occurrence with teenagers, but after more digging stress can have long-term effects on theirs bodies.  Some teen’s blood sugar goes up while some goes down.  I didn't realize that stress was such a factor in the disease. 

HOW MIGHT WE’S

How might we create a way to track teen’s insulin, highs and lows, symptoms, and diet? How might we reduce the stress that diabetic teens have? Which question is more important? Are they equally important? Could one solution solve both problems? 

IDEAS

Some ideas that I have so far are:

• A stress reliever for teens

• Game?
• Toy?
• Therapy? Physical? Aroma?
• Support Group?
• Music?
• Physical Activity? Yoga?

• Tracking
• Symptoms

• Diet
• Highs and Lows
• Insulin intake 
• Doctors Appointments
• Supplies Tracker

NEXT STEP

In the next few weeks I plan on talking to the subjects and ask them some ideas of what releases their stress.  I also plan on asking friends and family what helps them to release stress and how they track their daily diet.

Discovery

DIGGING DEEPER 

It’s time to start understanding the problem. In this part of the Design Process I am discovering more about the problems that teenage diabetics have to go through everyday. 

What I Know:

I know that being a teenager is very hard, adding a huge life or death responsibility makes it so much harder. With a constant stream of hormones, the teenager bodies blood sugar fluctuates more often than adults. If they so not take care of their bodies, diabetics have very high health risks that will affect them in adulthood. According to the National Diabetes Education Program having “high blood glucose can harm blood vessels and cause heart attacks or strokes. It can also damage organs in the body and cause blindness, kidney failure, loss of toes or feet, gum problems, or loss of teeth”.   

Diabetic Medical Kit. (Left) Test Strips (Middle) Meter (Right) Needle to Insert Insulin

I also noticed that some people treat diabetes like a joke. They make fat jokes saying, “I just ate so much candy that I’ll get diabetes”. I think there is a social issue that needs to be addressed as well as a medical issue.  

I have also seen my sister’s diabetic kit that carries her test strips, meter, and finger lancet.  Then she also carries glucose tabs, giant smarties, in her bag that she eats when her blood sugar gets low. Finally, she has her pump that administers her insulin into her body. These three items are very important to all diabetics, old and young. 

What I Don't Know:

I do not know about the physical effects of type 1 diabetes.  I want to know if it makes them more tired, irritable and if it effects their sleep, mood, or other factors. Is it annoying to carry around a kit everywhere? Is it difficult getting supplies from doctors? I know that there are health risks but what are the long term effects on the body? Do you think they are doing enough research for a cure? Should there be more social awareness for type 1?  

Research 

Now I will start to identify sources of inspiration for research.  My sister will be a primary source for teenagers but I would also like to talk to doctors and nurses to see what they think about the disease. I could also see if I could go to a support group session or go to Joslin Diabetes Center. They could give me more scientific information then personal information. I could also make a trip to the local doctors office or pharmacy for more information.  

Next Step 

Over the next few weeks I will be interviewing and visiting several locations to gather research for my topic.  I plan on interviewing my sister and two other teenagers with type 1. I then plan on emailing one of the doctors at Joslin Diabetes Center and ask a few quick medical questions in order to get a doctors opinion.  Then I plan on visiting the local CVS and RiteAid stores to examine the supplies for diabetics like glucose tablets and medical supplies. The last place I plan on visiting is the doctors office to ask the nurse a few questions.  I also want to check out the atmosphere of the waiting room and where the patients go in the examination rooms.