Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: Promoting cohesion, community and knowledge of diabetes through the co-production of a video exploring the social and clinical impact of attending a residential activity camp for children and families living with type 1 diabetes

Method: From our knowledge of attending previous diabetes camps, the video will begin by highlighting the background and motivation behind the study, emphasising the limited understanding of the social and clinical benefits of a residential activity camp spanning over 5 days. With full consent, will be filming the 2023 camp between July 25th and July 30th and fully edited and completed well before the September deadline. Our goal will be to bridge this gap and shed light on the potential positive impacts diabetes camps can have on the lives of those attending. The video will show how we gathered the information from interviews, observations and activities. We will share glimpses of the camp setting, from the grounds of Beaumanor Hall in Leicestershire, showcasing the supportive environment, interactions with medical staff and camp helpers (most of whom attended the camp when younger), and the engaging activities on offer such as canoeing, high ropes, orienteering and archery to name a few. The video will illustrate the social benefits of fostering a community, expressing what it means to them, including enhanced peer support, reduced feelings of isolation, an increased sense of normalisation and improved self-esteem and self-efficacy. Additionally, we will highlight instances of any clinical outcomes observed, such as greater awareness of time in range and a general increase in knowledge and confidence of Diabetes Self-Management Education. We will endeavour to capture the personal stories allowing viewers to witness the transformative impact the camp has on daily lives. In particular, we will capture the strengthened inter and intra family bonds forged during the camp experience.

Conclusion: Residential camps play an important role in fostering psychosocial well-being and improved health outcomes for children and families. This co-produced video will enable conference attendees and members of the diabetes community to experience camp at a deeper level, promoting attendance and awareness of the benefits of residential diabetes camps.