Physical activity levels in secondary school students with T1D

Regular exercise is important for health and has additional health benefits for children with type 1 diabetes, including improvements in mental health and reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors. 

Despite the benefits of exercise, research shows that high school aged adolescents with type 1 diabetes may experience additional barriers to exercise, including fear of hypoglycaemia or loss of control of diabetes. Some research also shows that youth with type 1 diabetes do less exercise than their peers without diabetes.

This is an important study that will identify barriers to exercise in high school aged youth with type 1 diabetes, and compare the amount of exercise adolescents with type 1 diabetes do to their peers without diabetes.

The study will help to inform interventions to support youth with type 1 diabetes to be more physically active and improve their health.

For more information, please contact Dr Carmel Smart Carmel.Smart@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

This study has Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval from Hunter New England Research Ethics Committee.