Högskolan i Skövde

Introduction: In Sweden, 450,000 people suffer from diabetes, of which 10-15% have type 1 diabetes. Individuals who have lived with the disease for a long time run the risk of complications. Physical activity is central to the treatment, but there are risks and obstacles that can lead to the individual avoiding physical activity.

 Aim: The purpose is to investigate perceived risks and other obstacles during physical activity for type 1 diabetics.

 Methods: The choice of method was a systematic literature study. The databases WorldCat Discovery and Pubmed were used in the search of reports. After the search, 10 reports were selected, and a thematic analysis was applied. Then 3 themes were chosen which were later used to analyze the reports. They were as follows: the fear and the risk of hypoglycemia, the obstacles and remedies in relation to physical activity and behavioral changes in the individual.

 Results: The fear of a hypoglycemia prevents the individual from exercising. The result showed that women suffers from anxiety concerning their diabetes to a greater extent than men. Aids such as Continuous Glucose Monitoring can minimize anxiety and the risk of getting into hypoglycemia during physical activity.

 Conclusion: Constantly worrying about getting into hypoglycemia can cause the individual to stop caring for the risks associated with the disease. One of the factors that led to the individual being unable to perform physical activity was hyperglycaemia. Continuous blood glucose monitoring as well as support of personnel at exercise facilities can lead to the individual overcoming obstacles and concerns.