A team of doctors in Greece looked closely at how blood sugar control changes for children and teens with type 1 diabetes around summer camp. They studied 93 children and adolescents who use MiniMed insulin pump systems, including sensor-augmented and automated delivery types. The results were published in the Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. These young patients attended a seven-day diabetes camp from 2019 to 2025. The researchers checked key data like time in target blood sugar range, highs and lows, insulin doses, carb intake, and infusion set changes for the week before camp, the camp week itself, and the week after. Their goal was to spot any short-term worsening after camp and figure out why it happens. This real-world look offers practical tips for managing these fun but tricky transitions.
Strong Control at Camp
During the camp week, blood sugar control hit good marks and beat pre-camp levels across the board. Time in range—staying between 70 and 180 mg/dL—reached 71.27%, up from 69.95% before camp. High sugars above 180 and 250 mg/dL dropped nicely too. Children handled the structured camp routine well, with glucose variability peaking at a coefficient of 35.21% due to activities and group meals. Infusion set changes happened less often, which helped keep things steady. Overall, the camp environment with on-site support proved a win for glycemic metrics.
Post-Camp Slump Hits Every Year
Right after camp, things slid back for all six years studied. Time in range fell to 64.53%, worse than both camp and pre-camp weeks, while time above 180 mg/dL and above 250 mg/dL climbed higher. Users of the advanced MiniMed 780G system held up better post-camp at 70.02% time in range, compared to 55.43% for MiniMed 640G users, a big difference that reached statistical significance. This pattern held steady, pointing to a reliable post-camp challenge.
Everyday Habits Drive the Changes
In the week after camp, children ate more meals and took in more carbohydrates, pushing total daily insulin to 41.13 units or 0.84 units per kg. The ratio of insulin to carbohydrates stayed about the same, suggesting intake shifts rather than dosing errors caused the ups. Fewer infusion set changes post-camp might have played a role too. 
Guidance for Doctors and Families
For physicians, this means warning families about the post-camp week and pushing close monitoring with pumps and sensors. Individual plans could include carbohydrate logging, activity tweaks, and quick dose adjustments to bridge the gap. Newer automated systems like 780G show promise in buffering these dips. Camps remain valuable for education and control boosts, but the real test comes in that follow-up week.