Diabetic Testing Made a Little More Fun with Didget for the DS
We don’t believe in horseplay when it comes to diabetes and blood testing. However, more and more kids are developing diabetes at a young age. According to the American Diabetes Association, around one in every 400 Americans age 20 or younger have a form of diabetes.
As more children develop blood sugar issues, it becomes increasingly important to find new ways to helping them to monitor their own levels. Bayer has come up with an interesting way of getting kids’ to test their blood sugar levels in the form of a video game that is helpful and about as fun at it’s going to get for youngsters with the disease.
The Bayer Didget Blood Glucose Meter connects to your Nintendo DS (or DS Lite) gaming systems in the form of the game Knock ‘Em Downs: World’s Fair. Kids are awarded points for consistently testing their blood sugar levels and meeting specific targets. Kids can redeem points to unlock bonus levels and characters. They can earn extra points for the number of tests per day and the minimum time between tests- pretty basic stuff, but at least attempting to add some fun to what can be a daily chore.
You can plug in to your computer and your child can use a specific password to be part of the online Didget community that can connect them with a virtual support group- as well as bragging rights if they have high scores on the World’s Fair game.
The system is aimed at children and teens aged 4-14. The Didget uses the same strips and technology as Bayer’s other diabetes testing systems, like the recently-reviewed Bayer A1C Now SelfCheck, and we are impressed with the strides testing has made. Didget’s test results were given in 5 seconds, which means that you aren’t going to be bored waiting around. An advanced mode is available on the Didget as well, that shows results of pre- and post meal markers, 7 and 30 day averages, and allows personalization of the ranges.
You can use the Didget on its own without the DS, but that would kind of miss the point. We were able to purchase online for around $75, or even from some local pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS. The games might not qualify as fun, but we support anything that broadens the video game eco-system, and encourages the use of interactive devices in positive ways.
