Females with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at a significantly elevated risk of developing an eating disorder. Young females who develop T1D in adolescence who also experience body image concerns are at particularly high risk of developing an eating disorder in the form of insulin omission or decreased dosing to prevent weight gain. Insulin omission in a person with T1D causes weight loss but is also associated with significant physiological consequences, since blood glucose levels become extremely high. Despite the deadly consequences of the eating disorder coined ‘diabulimia’, there are very few interventions for individuals at risk (Wisting et al., 2021).
The Body Project is an interactive program that targets people at risk of developing eating disorders. Since its inception, a three-week online program has been designed and shows strong evidence for preventing eating disorders two years post intervention. A modified “Diabetes Body Project” was tested for young females diagnosed with T1D. The intervention endeavoured to increase body acceptance, social functioning, and improve diabetes-specific illness perceptions. This version included six one-hour sessions with trained facilitators, and participant discussion was encouraged during each session.
The study recruited thirty-five young females with T1D and had a modest dropout rate following initial contact. Overall, the study found medium to large effect size improvements in the domains of thin idealization and body dissatisfaction, and small effect size improvements in diabetes related anxiety. It is important to note because there are very few eating disorder prevention programs that target individuals with T1D, results comparisons are difficult. The researchers note that to better understand the effects of the Diabetes Body Project, both randomized clinical trials and long-term follow up must be conducted.
Citation:
Wisting, L., Haugvik, S., Wennersberg, A. L., Hage, T. W., Stice, E., Olmsted, M. P., Ghaderi, A., Brunborg, C., Skrivarhaug, T., Dahl, J. K., & Rø, Ø. (2021). Feasibility of a virtually delivered eating disorder prevention program for young females with type 1 diabetes. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(9), 1696–1706. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1002/eat.23578