Title: Bringing The Positive Impact Of Sixty-Two Years Of Experience In Diabetes Camps To The Whole Uruguayan Territory

Co-authors
B. Carrattini, C. Solari.
Asociación de Diabéticos del Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.


Background
Diabetes camps have a very positive impact on children’s life. It has been shown metabolic improvements, leading to delay in complications development, after participating in a diabetes camp, which seems more evident when the experience is repeated¹. The diabetes control gain is not only attributed to the acquisition of knowledge, but also to the psychosocial positive impact of spending days with peers who have the same condition, in a planned, safe, and fun environment. Sharing experiences and learning from more experienced individuals, motivates children and makes them realize the worth and benefits of keeping a good diabetes self-control, and that the challenges of living with diabetes can be overcome. The Uruguayan Diabetic Association was the first association in the region who began with the diabetes camps in 1954. Nowadays, 62 years later we continue in that way. 
It is a fact that for children and adolescents living outside country’s capital is more difficult to access educational diabetes camps.
Aim
Give to the type 1 diabetes children between 8 and 16 years old, who live in Uruguay the opportunity to participate in at least one diabetes camp in their lives.  Share the experience carried out in the department of Montevideo with health institutions throughout Uruguay. 
Method
We have been working since 2011 in a new model, where 50 children and a multi-disciplinary team of 27 adults, integrated by nutritionists, psychologists, diabetes educators , doctors, nurses, leaders and gym teachers participate during a weekend. The model we share holds that the best way to educate kids is by letting them experience and share daily activities. We use the peer experience as our main tool for education. We share every aspect of living with diabetes in a healthy and safety way. We will start this year by replicating the camp model outside the country's capital, in Soriano department, in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team working in that region, sharing the tools and protocols so that they can continue with this mission in the future.
Results
Since 2011, 300 children attended the Aducamps at least once. We notice the positive impact the Camp made in their lives, increasing the number of controls, the acceptance of the condition, the knowledge in diabetes, the self-control, and the independence. We are sure that this will continue We are sure that these positive results will be of great impact for children and adolescents with diabetes who today do not have the physical and economic accessibility to access the Uruguayan diabetes camps. We are also sure that the multidisciplinary team in the region will be educated to continue empowering those kids in the future.
Discussion
Knowing that there are 3.411 children with diabetes between 8 and 16, according to the prevalence study made in Uruguay², 300 is obviously too little and serves only a tiny fraction of children living with diabetes in this country. We only have the resources to make one camp a year, so only 1,5% of this children could be able to attend it yearly. Knowing the short and long-term positive impact of diabetes camps on children’s life, we strongly suggest international and local communities, organizations and governments to help support ADUCAMP in order to have the possibility to organize at least 1 camp a year per department. We believe is possible to educate at least three multidisciplinary teams per year, reaching in six years all the country regions.

Bringing the positive impact of sixty-two years of experience in diabetes camps to the whole Uruguayan territory