The overall objective of the proposed research is the development of an interactive software program for meal planning by adolescents with diabetes. The tool will be used to plan meals from foods characteristic of specific eating locations, using the exchange list system. It is intended for home use and in health care settings. The program will be written in Hypercard to run on the Mac II (color version) or on the Mac SE (black and white version) computer. The data entered can become an automatic dietary record from which to evaluate food selection and patterns of intake, compliance to the dietary prescription, and adequacy of the dietary regimen. The tasks to be completed in Phase I include the content development and validation, and screen designs for the software package. The computer programming and the full development of the program will be completed in Phase II. This tool will provide the opportunity for adolescents with diabetes to apply the exchange lists to their individual food selection behavior. Planning on a daily basis will reinforce skills in food selection, and promote adherence to the dietary prescription.
