Transitional Needs of Australian Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background Young adulthood is marked by transitions that impact diabetes self-management behaviors, which require ongoing diabetes education and support. Traditional diabetes education programs and services currently do not meet the needs of many young adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) as they continue to fall through the cracks of clinical services. Age-centered diabetes education programs and services present an opportunity for young adults to meet in a supportive environment and gain a better understanding about diabetes management. Objective The aim of the study was to identify the health and well-being needs of Australian young adults aged between 18 and 35 years with T1DM to develop appropriate solutions to keep them engaged with diabetes self-management. Methods In total, 13 semistructured individual interviews and self-reported surveys were obtained to understand participants’ experiences with diabetes education programs and services. Together with survey data, transcribed interviews were analyzed into themes and categories using comparative analysis to identify the health and well-being needs of young adults with T1DM during young adulthood. Results Diabetes education and service needs for young adults with T1DM related to improving access to existing diabetes education programs and services, having credible informational resources, as well as having personalized diabetes management advice. Participants especially valued relevant and real-time information and opportunities for peer support, mostly sourced from Web-based platforms. Conclusions There is a need for diabetes education programs and services to be age-appropriate and easily accessible, to provide relevant and credible information, and to provide opportunities for peer support to better support young adults with T1DM. These findings also support the use of diabetes education programs or services delivered online through mHealth systems in this population.

A mHealth Support Program for Australian Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Study

“…These categories were informed by semi-structured interviews with 13 Australian young adults with T1DM that further investigated the transitional needs of this population. 4 Nationally recognised clinical experts within the field of diabetes education reviewed relevant sections from the website to ensure that information was evidence-based and up to date. The Diabetes YES website was regularly updated throughout the data collection period with the latest diabetes-related news and research.…”

“…Participants who previously volunteered in the preceding qualitative arm of the study were excluded to reduce bias. 4 An incentive to win one of two AUD 50 gift cards upon completion of the study was offered.…”

“…Such transitional needs were also reflected in an Australian study where 13 young adults with T1DM were interviewed on their experiences as they transitioned through various turning points where participants commonly described the desire for support that was more responsive to their life circumstances as young adults. 4…”

“…Diabetes YES was informed by findings from an earlier study that investigated the transitional needs of Australian young adults with T1DM. 4 The purpose of the Diabetes YES program was to support young adults with T1DM through the provision of appropriate diabetes education and opportunities for peer support. The current paper focuses on the usability and acceptability of findings from the evaluation of the Diabetes YES program.…”

A discussion of healthcare support for adolescents and young adults with long‐term conditions: Current policy and practice and future opportunities

“…They are often doubly disadvantaged by the scarcity of local specialist healthcare and the travel needed to access it, especially when HCPs exclusively deliver services by conventional consultation. Other limiting factors include transport availability and service operational hours (Birch et al, 2008; Kibbey, Speight, Wong, Smith, & Teede, 2013; Ng, Crowe, Ball, & Rasmussen, 2017). If young people are unable to access support and direction from appropriately knowledgeable HCPs, they have little option but to manage by themselves, seeking advice from whatever source is available to them regardless of quality (James, 2017).…”