Examining the Cognitive, Practical, and Emotional Demands of Managing Physical Activity in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study With Adolescents, Parents, and Healthcare Professionals
Authors' conclusion
Enhanced, youth-friendly, and activity-specific guidance is needed for adolescents with T1D. This should include training for healthcare professionals, teachers, and coaches. Future work should prioritise the co-design of resources and interventions with young people and families, integrating structured peer support.
Study context
- Population
- Adolescents with T1D aged 12–18, their parents/carers and healthcare professionals (HCPs)
- Participants
- 11 / 15 / 11
- Comparison
- Adolescents vs Parents/carers vs HCPs
- Adolescentsn = 11
- Parents/carersn = 15
- HCPsn = 11
- Outcome
- How adolescents manage PA and how it is influenced by the wider support system (parents, carers, HCPs)
Methodological detailssemi-structured interviews, thematic analysis
- Semi-structured interviews
- Thematic analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Demands of managing T1D during PA (thematic analysis)
- Theme 1: mental effort required to manage diabetes with physical activity (PA), incl. parental anxiety, desire for normality, unpredictability of glucose responses
- Theme 2: practical and organisational challenges, e.g. access to supportive environments, technology, activity-specific logistics
- Theme 3: adaptive management strategies, incl. trial and error, parental involvement, peer learning, variable clinical support
- Current support often generic; families relied on self-devised strategies and informal networks
Original publication
Examining the Cognitive, Practical, and Emotional Demands of Managing Physical Activity in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study With Adolescents, Parents, and Healthcare Professionals. Pediatr Diabetes. Published 19 December 2025. doi:10.
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