T1DE: improving communication guidelines
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Type 1 diabetes and disordered eating: improving communication guidelines
IRAS ID
306866
Contact name
Janet James
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bournemouth University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
This research seeks to understand how people with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating (T1DE) receive and respond to diabetes management information.
Diabetes management involves focusing on food – counting carbohydrate intake and checking nutrition labels is an important daily task for someone with type 1 diabetes in order to calculate appropriate insulin intake and thus manage the condition. Eating disorders are twice as common in people with diabetes than in those without and a contributing reason may be the focus on food that is needed to manage the condition as food-fixation often plays a role in eating disorders.
Diabetes management information is communicated to people with type 1 diabetes by healthcare professionals and is also received from sources such as peer support groups on social media and charities. There is, however, a dearth of research that seeks to understand how this information is received and used by people with T1DE and if this is different to people with type 1 diabetes who do not have disordered eating.
The project will address the research gap using a mixed methods approach. The research will start with an online survey to gather data on what channels and sources diabetes management information is received from and data on how it is used by people with type 1 diabetes and people with T1DE. From the results of the survey, themes will be drawn to shape semi-structured interviews that will uncover deeper data on how people with T1DE respond to and use diabetes management information. Alongside the interviews, the project will also conduct an analysis of significant sources of diabetes management information that emerge from the survey results.
The research seeks to understand if any improvements can be made to the way that diabetes management information is communicated to be more appropriate and sensitive to those with disordered eating.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0363
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion