924-P: A Latent Class Analysis of Adolescent Preferences on Social Media Use by Diabetes Care Teams to Support Type 1 Diabetes Management

• Published in: Diabetes (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 70; no. Supplement_1
• Main Authors: MALIK, FAISAL, ELLYSON, ALICE M., CHRISTAKIS, DIMITRI, MANGIONE-SMITH, RITA, PIHOKER, CATHERINE, MORENO, MEGAN A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Diabetes Association 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Adolescents; Communication; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Entropy; Latent class analysis; Preferences; Social networks; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0012-1797; 1939-327X
• DOI: 10.2337/db21-924-P

Objective: To identify latent classes of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) based on their interest in receiving diabetes management support from their diabetes care team via social media (SM). Methods: 227 adolescents with T1D (13-18 years old) in Seattle, WA completed a survey about their interest in communicating with their care team over SM. Latent class analysis was used to identify latent groups based on their stated preferences. Results: A 3-class solution was identified that minimized AIC (2042.1), BIC (2131.1), and maximized entropy (0.88) and the value of log-likelihood (-995.0). Over half the sample (n=114, 50.2%) belonged to Class 1, which was defined by a positive view of using SM to support diabetes management and a strong preference for using direct messaging options to communicate over social media (see Figure). Adolescents in Class 2 (n=47, 20.7%) had a similar outlook with respect to impact on communication but reported a preference for private social media communication options. Class 3 (n=66, 29.1%) accounted for adolescents not interested in communicating over SM. Conclusions: The majority of adolescents with T1D endorsed the use of SM communication tools to support diabetes management. Findings from this latent class analysis can be used to provide tailored strategies to meet adolescent preferences for SM use with the diabetes care team.