167-LB: Knowledge Retention and Glycemic Control in Participants of Kids in Control of Food (KICk OFF) Program—Virtual vs. On-Site

Abstract

Introduction: Kids In Control Of Food (KICk OFF) is a structured educational program for children with T1D from ages 11 to 16 years old. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was adapted and delivered virtually to accommodate regulations. It is unclear whether the virtual adaptation provides the same learning experience and effect on glycemic control as the original on-site version. Objectives: To compare both HbA1c and knowledge retention between participants who completed the program virtually versus on-site. Methods: A knowledge retention test of 15 questions was developed addressing the main diabetes concepts explained during KICk OFF: diabetes, insulin, carbohydrate counting, etc. This test was distributed to all the participants (virtual/on-site) 6 months after the completion of the course. Their knowledge retention tests were scored as a percentage of correct answers to total questions. HbA1c was recorded at baseline and 6 months. A t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 43 participants attended KICk OFF (23 on-site, 20 virtual). A significantly higher knowledge retention test score was achieved in the on-site group (p-value=0.015) (Table 1). An insignificant reduction of HbA1c of 0.3% was observed in the on-site group after 6 months, and no reduction in the virtual group (Table 2). Table 1: Mean retention test scores for the on-site and virtual participants. Table 2: Mean HbA1c for the on-site and virtual participants. Discussion: Although virtual KICk OFF was necessary during COVID-19, the results indicated a superiority in the on-site KICk OFF course in terms of knowledge retention, as well as HbA1c reduction. Further research is recommended. Disclosure R. Almatrook: None. N. Taha: None. Z. Rahme: None. A. Alqabandi: None.