Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine an effect of the health camp program on self-efficacy, sick-role behavioral compliance and glucose metabolism in juvenile diabetes mellitus patients. The quasi-experimental study was designed using a nonequivalent control group pre-posttest design with the framework of Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Forty-two juvenile diabetes mellitus patients participating in this study were selected from outpatients. Of these, twenty-one were assigned to the experimental group and twenty-one to the control group. The period of data collection was from August 8 to December 9 in 1994. The health camp program for the experimental group was carried out over 6 days and the control group did not participate in the program. Collection data was analyzed by means of chi - square test, t - test, ANCOVA, Pearson correlation with SPSS /PC+. The result were summarized as follows: 1. The health camp program was effective in in-creasing the scores of self-efficacy for juven-ile diabetes mellitus patients. 2. The health camp program was effective in increasing the scores of sick - role behavioral compliance for juvenile diabetes mellitus patients. 3. The health camp program was not effective in decreasing the levels of glucose metabolism. 4. The more self-efficacy increased, the more sick - role behavioral compliance increased. 5. Boys showed the higher self-efficacy than girls and the group with diabetes patients whose family members are also patients, showed the higher self-efficacy and sick-role behavioral compliance than the group without diabetic patient among the family members. Thus, it can be concluded that the health camp program was a useful health intervention for juvenile diabetes mellitus patients.