Exploring why young people with Type 1 diabetes decline structured education with a view to overcoming barriers

To identify factors that influence lack of engagement of young adults with Type 1 diabetes (aged 13-21 years) with structured diabetes education (SDE) to inform and broaden the reach of future SDE.

A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was undertaken of 227 young people with Type 1 diabetes drawn from 11 health trusts across Northern Ireland and England, deemed to be representative of the wider population. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire exploring non-attendance, along with the Diabetes Care Profile, the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (Short Form), the Diabetes Knowledge Test and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Demographic, health and diabetes-specific variables including HbA_1c were also collected.

The five most commonly cited reasons for non-attendance were 'Had other things to do' (68.3%), 'No time' (62.2%), 'Could not get time off school/college or work' (60.8%), 'Learnt about diabetes from other sources' (55.5%) and 'Feel able to cope on own' (52.9%).

Greater emphasis is required on communication with young people about the benefits of SDE. In addition, efforts need to be directed to making diabetes education more accessible without losing the quality of structured programmes.