IntroductionFor people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) the challenge of increasing daily physical activity (PA) is compounded by the increased risks of hypoglycemia and glucose variability. Little information exists on the lived experience of overcoming these barriers and adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle while living with T1D.Research Design and MethodsWe conducted a patient-led qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews or focus groups with 22 individuals at least 16 years old living with T1D. We used existing patient co-researcher networks and snowball sampling to obtain a sample of individuals who reported being regularly physically active and had been diagnosed with T1D for at least one year. We used an interpretive description analysis to generate themes and strategies associated with maintaining an active lifestyle while living with T1D. We involved patient co-researchers in study design, data collection, and interpretation.Results14 self-identified women and 8 self-identified men (ages 19-62, median age 32 years) completed the study, led by either a researcher, or a patient co-researcher and research assistant regarding their strategies for maintaining an active lifestyle. We identified five themes that facilitate regular sustained PA: (1) Structure and organization are important to adopt safe PA in daily life “I can’t do spontaneous exercise. I actually need a couple hours of warning minimum”; (2) Trial and error to learn how their body responds to PA and food “Once you put the time and effort into learning, you will have greater success”; (3) Psychosocial aspects of PA “…because it’s not just your body, it’s your soul, it’s your mind that exercise is for”; (4) Diabetes technology and (5) Education and peer support. Strategies to overcome barriers included (1) Technology; (2) Integrating psychosocial facilitators; (3) Insulin and carbohydrate adjustments; and (4) Planning for exercise.ConclusionsLiving an active lifestyle with T1D is facilitated by dedicated structure and organization of routines, accepting the need for trial and error to understand the personalized glycemic responses to PA and careful use of food to prevent hypoglycemia. These themes could inform clinical practice guidelines or future trials that include PA interventions.

BACKGROUND Clinical guidelines for most adults with diabetes recommend maintaining hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) levels ≤7% (≤53 mmol/mol) to avoid microvascular and macrovascular complications. People with diabetes of different ages, sexes, and socioeconomic statuses may differ in their ease of attaining this goal. OBJECTIVE As a team of people with diabetes, researchers, and health professionals, we aimed to explore patterns in HbA_1c results among people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Canada. Our research question was identified by people living with diabetes. METHODS In this patient-led retrospective cross-sectional study with multiple time points of measurement, we used generalized estimating equations to analyze the associations of age, sex, and socioeconomic status with 947,543 HbA_1c results collected from 2010 to 2019 among 90,770 people living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Canada and housed in the Canadian National Diabetes Repository. People living with diabetes reviewed and interpreted the results. RESULTS HbA_1c results ≤7.0% represented 30.5% (male people living with type 1 diabetes), 21% (female people living with type 1 diabetes), 55% (male people living with type 2 diabetes) and 59% (female people living with type 2 diabetes) of results in each subcategory. We observed higher HbA_1c values during adolescence, and for people living with type 2 diabetes, among people living in lower income areas. Among those with type 1 diabetes, female people tended to have lower HbA_1c levels than male people during childbearing years but higher HbA_1c levels than male people during menopausal years. Team members living with diabetes confirmed that the patterns we observed reflected their own life courses and suggested that these results be communicated to health professionals and other stakeholders to improve the treatment for people living with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of people with diabetes in Canada may need additional support to reach or maintain the guideline-recommended glycemic control goals. Blood sugar management goals may be particularly challenging for people going through adolescence or menopause or those living with fewer financial resources. Health professionals should be aware of the challenging nature of glycemic management, and policy makers in Canada should provide more support for people with diabetes to live healthy lives.

BackgroundClinical guidelines for most adults with diabetes recommend maintaining hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≤7.0% (<53 mmol/mol) to avoid microvascular and macrovascular complications. People with diabetes of different ages, sexes, and socioeconomic statuses may differ in their ease of attaining this goal. As a team of people with diabetes, researchers, and health professionals, we aimed to explore patterns in HbA1c results among people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Canada. Our research question was identified by people living with diabetes.MethodsWe used generalized estimating equations to analyze the effects of age, sex and socioeconomic status in 947,543 HbA1c results measured from 2010 to 2019 among 90,770 people living with type 1 or 2 diabetes in Canada. People living with diabetes reviewed and interpreted the results.ResultsHbA1c results at or below 7.0% represented 30.5% (male people living with type 1 diabetes), 21.0% (female people living with type 1 diabetes), 55.0% (male people living with type 2 diabetes) and 59.0% (female people living with type 2 diabetes) of results in each subcategory. We observed higher HbA1c values during adolescence and, for people living with type 2 diabetes, among people living in lower income areas. Among those with type 1 diabetes, female people tended to have lower HbA1c than male people during childbearing years but higher HbA1c than male people during menopausal years. Team members living with diabetes confirmed that the patterns we observed reflected their own life courses and suggested these results be communicated to health professionals and other stakeholders to improve treatment for people living with diabetes.InterpretationA substantial proportion of people with diabetes in Canada are insufficiently supported to maintain guideline-recommended glycemic control goals. Blood sugar management goals may be particularly challenging for people who are going through adolescence, menopause, or living with fewer financial resources. Health professionals should be aware of the challenging nature of glycemic management and policymakers in Canada should provide more support for people with diabetes to live healthy lives.

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