Technology Utilization in Black Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Exploring the Decision-Making Process

Background: Significant disparities in diabetes device (DD) use exist for Black adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), meriting further exploration. We sought to describe how Black adolescents with T1D and their parents make decisions about using DDs and understand personal, familial, and cultural beliefs that may influence use.Materials and Methods: Nineteen Black adolescents with T1D and 17 parents participated in individual qualitative semistructured interviews. Adolescents were purposively sampled for a range of socioeconomic and clinical demographics. Interview data were recorded, transcribed, and coded for thematic analysis, analyzed separately for parents and adolescents, and then compared across groups. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved.Results: Adolescents and parents reported similar themes related to the (1) intersectionality of multiple identities: T1D experience of Black adolescents; (2) decision to use DDs: complexities of T1D management and easing the burden; and (3) reasons for differential uptake of DDs in Black adolescents. Adolescents reported lacking peers with T1D who look like me, leading to stigmatization, exacerbated by device visibility and alarms. Cultural and familial traditions as well as individual factors were described as both facilitators and barriers in DD use. Lack of familiarity with T1D, limited exposure to DDs, and mistrust of the medical community, both historically and currently, were brought up as reasons for inequities in DD use.Conclusions: Understanding the decision-making process surrounding DDs in one sample of Black adolescents and their parents is critical to guide further research to improve equity in DD use and glycemic outcomes.

Automated summary

This study aimed to understand the decision-making process and influencing factors for the use of diabetes devices (DDs) in Black adolescents and their parents. The results showed that Black adolescents face challenges related to the intersectionality of social identities, the complexity of T1D management, and differential uptake of DDs. Cultural, familial, and individual factors were found to be both facilitators and barriers in DD use. Lack of familiarity with T1D, limited exposure to DDs, and mistrust of the medical community were identified as reasons for inequities in DD use.