CONTEXT: Most patients living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) do not have a healthy body weight or engage in the amount of physical activity recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Patients with T1D face multiple barriers when attempting to meet exercise recommendations. Primary care physicians should be aware of these unique barriers to better partner with adults with T1D in encouraging exercise as part of their comprehensive care.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze online blog posts to better understand barriers and facilitators to exercise in adults with T1D.
DESIGN: Exploratory qualitative study employing inductive thematic analysis of T1D-focused blogs.
SETTING: Snowball sampling identified four popular blogs authored by adults with T1D.
PARTICIPANTS: Three blogs were authored by females and one by a male. Included in the dataset was any content associated with tags or keywords related to exercise and/or fitness.
RESULTS: Themes: (1) hypoglycemia causes interruption/cessation of workouts. (2) Day-to-day activities that are not recognized and prepared for as exercise can result in increased insulin sensitivity and/or hypoglycemia. (3) Wearing technology and carrying diabetes supplies is a barrier that can be overcome by having family members participate and help carry supplies. (4) Attending organized exercise programs for adults with T1D facilitates exercise. (5) Online peer support serves as a source of encouragement to exercise for adults with T1D.
CONCLUSIONS: This study used the novel approach of examining blogs to better understand barriers and facilitators to exercise in adults living with T1D. Family physicians should consider providing patients with additional strategies to recognize daily activities that may not be recognized as exercise, information on preventing hypoglycemia during exercise, as well as organized and/or online activities that can help provide support and education for patients while they exercise.
