Strategies That Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Use in Relation to Exercise

Physical activity is an important element of type 1 diabetes management, and hypoglycemia is a known risk. There are few data on strategies adolescents use to mitigate this risk. We surveyed 66 adolescents with type 1 diabetes who were 12–18 years of age about blood glucose monitoring, carbohydrate intake, and insulin management before, during, and after exercise. The adolescents completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form and the Children’s Hypoglycemia Fear Survey. We found that adolescents with type 1 diabetes do not generally follow guidelines about glucose monitoring or about food and insulin adjustment around exercise. More targeted education and interventions are needed to improve adolescents’ uptake of recommended behaviors and improve outcomes.