Is fear of hypoglycemia a major barrier to an active lifestyle in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes? The Diactive‐1 Study

Abstract

Studies on fear of hypoglycemia as a barrier to physical activity among youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have been limited and controversial, most of which used self‐reported assessment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between fear of hypoglycemia and physical activity and glycemic metrics in children and adolescents with T1D. Seventy‐four participants (6–18 years of age; 44.6% females) with T1D were included in the study. Physical activity was assessed through accelerometry on nine consecutive days, and blood glucose metrics were simultaneously tracked using continuous glucose monitoring (time‐in‐range and hypoglycemic events). A closed question was used to evaluate the avoidance of physical activity due to fear of hypoglycemia. Fifteen participants (20%) reported avoiding physical activity due to fear of hypoglycemia. The group reporting no fear of hypoglycemia showed lower total physical activity (−35.33 min/day, 95% confidence interval [CI] (−77.57 to −1.47)) and light physical activity (−29.81 min/day, 95% CI −64.01 to −2.75) and higher sedentary time (77.95 min/day, 95% CI 26.46–136.87) per day compared with those with fear of hypoglycemia. No difference was found between those patients with fear of hypoglycemia in terms of meeting the recommendations of glycated hemoglobin, glucose coefficient of variation, and time‐in‐range when compared to those with no fear of hypoglycemia. In conclusion, children and adolescents with fear of hypoglycemia were more active, less sedentary, and had similar glycemic metrics to those without fear. Our results therefore suggest that fear of hypoglycemia may be less of a barrier to an active lifestyle than previously believed.