(ARA) – It can be a real tug of war: the struggles parents face when they have to give their child medicine. As hard as that is, just try to imagine what it’s like for the parent of a child with diabetes and getting that child to test his/her blood sugar several times a day. For a child with a chronic disease like type 1 diabetes – in which the body does not produce insulin – daily insulin shots are just the tip of the iceberg; living with diabetes also involves constant testing of blood glucose (sugar). For some children who are diagnosed with diabetes at a very young age, regular monitoring becomes a habit early on. For children who are diagnosed between ages 8 and 14, however, the habit may be harder to instill, and blood sugar monitoring may be seen as a chore to avoid at all costs.

For most kids with diabetes, the entire process of blood sugar testing – pricking a finger several times a day, being forced to carry testing supplies everywhere, having to interrupt playing with friends or doing other normal kid activities – is one giant intrusion in their life. Often, they grow more and more resentful of their parents’ constant reminders to test their blood sugar. Despite lectures, arguments and their parents’ pleas to take monitoring seriously, some kids may come up with excuse after excuse to get around testing.

“Diabetes can be tough on a young kid. It is difficult to grasp the importance of monitoring or that this disease is something they will have for life,” says Dr. Larry Deeb, pediatric endocrinologist and medical director for the Diabetes Center at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Florida. “Teaching the importance of regular blood glucose monitoring is the challenge every parent of a child with diabetes faces. It’s a constant point of contention that leads to stress in families, and can sometimes come to define the parent-child relationship.”

A new blood glucose monitor is aimed at getting kids interested in managing their diabetes by linking it to activities that a child understands and enjoys. The DIDGET meter, developed by Bayer Diabetes Care, taps into kids’ passion for handheld video games. The DIDGET meter connects to Nintendo DS and DS Lite gaming systems, rewarding kids through points and unlocked levels on a variety of adventure games and mini-game arcades. The meter also connects to DidgetWorld, a special Web community where kids can spend points that they earn from good testing practices and customize their own page.

“The DIDGET meter is a fundamental shift in approach to testing, and may help motivate children to monitor their blood glucose levels more often,” adds Deeb. “Good blood sugar control is critical for managing diabetes and avoiding the long-term complications of the disease. Innovations such as the DIDGET meter can help kids become more engaged in monitoring their blood sugar – an important step in developing good testing habits over the course of their lives.”

Successful diabetes management requires a lifetime commitment of eating healthy and staying active, monitoring blood sugar levels, working to prevent any serious complications and following prescribed treatment and HCP recommendations. As kids move from one stage to the next, the good habits formed during childhood lay the foundation of success. College-bound teens and young adults can continue to stay on top of their diabetes monitoring with the help of another blood glucose monitor, Bayer’s CONTOUR USB meter. The CONTOUR USB meter uses the same CONTOUR testing strips, and plugs into a PC or Mac and provides alerts and test reminders, so students can keep track of their glucose monitoring schedules. In addition, hundreds of stored test results can be shared with a doctor in person, over the phone or through e-mail.

Both the DIDGET meter and the CONTOUR USB meter are sold at your local retailer or pharmacy.

Bayer is now offering coupon savings on the purchase of both the CONTOUR USB and DIDGET meters. Use these websites to access coupon savings: www.BayerCONTOURUSB.us/PR2 or www.BayerDIDGET.com/PR2.

For more information, visit www.bayerdidget.com and www.bayercontourusb.com.

Dr. Deeb is a paid spokesperson for Bayer Diabetes Care.