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Diabetes Knowledge, Self-Management, and Belonging: A Community of Practice Perspective on Camp for Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

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Communication Open Access

Diabetes Knowledge, Self-Management, and Belonging: A Community of Practice Perspective on Camp for Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

Eddie Hill 1,* Scott Clements 2 Sydney Look 2 Carla Cox 1 Christina Aguilar 1 Khadija Abdinasir 1 Mike Eisenberg 3

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1
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Dumke College of Health Professionals, Weber State University Ogden, UT 84408, USA
2
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
3
Lions Club MD 28, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, USA
*
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Received: 10 April 2026 Revised: 22 May 2026 Accepted: 03 July 2026 Published: 20 July 2026

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© 2026 The authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Lifespan Dev. Ment. Health 2026, 2(3), 10016; DOI: 10.70322/ldmh.2026.10016
ABSTRACT: Youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) often face barriers to recreation participation, disease self-management, and peer connection. This research note examined how a university-based diabetes camp, grounded in a Community of Practice (CoP) model, supported youth learning, self-management, and belonging. Participants were 33 youth, ages 11 to 18, attending a university-based diabetes day camp in Northern Utah. Self-reported, open-ended post-camp evaluation responses were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: applied diabetes knowledge, intentional self-management in active settings, and belonging through shared experience. Findings suggest that recreation-based camp programming supported practical diabetes learning, more deliberate self-management behaviors, and meaningful peer relationships, thereby reducing isolation and normalizing living with T1D. Results highlight the value of interdisciplinary, recreation-centered CoP models for creating supportive recreation spaces for youth with chronic health conditions.
Keywords: Type 1 diabetes; Community of practice; Recreation camp; Youth development; Qualitative research
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