Having diabetes is associated with an increased risk of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and eating disorders, as well as “diabetes distress”, which is a clinical condition that refers to the negative emotions that come with the burden of diabetes self-management.

There is some evidence that behavioral health interventions can address mental health issues such as clinical depression and diabetes distress, as well as improve quality of life and diabetes self-management in people with T1D.

CHRIM Researcher, Dr. Jon McGavock, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics & Child Health at the University of Manitoba, has received one million over the next four years by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in a joint effort to combat diabetes. The new research project will focus on peer mentorship to create a behavioral intervention for adolescents with T1D.

Within the project, the team will provide strategies to address the three biggest barriers to physical activity in adolescents with T1D: (1) the increased risk and fear of hypoglycemia, (2) the trial and error to finding appropriate physical activity levels to maintain stable diabetes control, and (3) the limited motivation to exercise due to diabetes distress and existing mental health issues.

The study will consist of a 12-week program of group-based exercise led by mentors with T1D that are living healthy, active lifestyles. This program will seek to impart upon the participants a sense of mastery, relatedness and connection with peers, and a sense of autonomy to improve their quality of life through healthy, active lifestyles. The feasibility of this study, as well as the impact on mental health and diabetes outcomes, will help inform future physical activity guidelines for adolescents with T1D.

Dr. McGavock commented that “CHRIM, along with the DREAM theme supported the formative work that led to the development of this project through patient engagement and webinars around exercise and type 1 diabetes. Thank you to CHRIM and the DREAM trainees who helped get the critical work off the ground.”