Beliefs and Experiences of Fear of Hypoglycemia and Use of Uncooked Cornstarch before Bedtime in Persons with Type 1-Diabetes

Autor: E. Moberg, Unn-Britt Johansson, Therese Anderbro, Per-Eric Lins, Ulf Adamson
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: Open Journal of Nursing. :795-810
ISSN: 2162-5344
2162-5336
Popis: Introduction: Among persons living with type 1-diabetes hypoglycemia and fear of hypoglycemia remain limiting barriers for achieving optimal glucose control and a good quality of life. Fear of hypoglycemia has been found stable over time if not treated. Uncooked cornstarch has been found to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia but has not been studied in relation to fear of hypogly-cemia. The aims of this study were to through clinical data, self-reported measures and clinical interviews explore subjects’ experience of using un-cooked cornstarch before bedtime and their beliefs and experiences of fear of hypoglycemia. Methods: Mixed methods with both quantitative and qualita-tive data were used. Self-reported measures of hypoglycemia and fear of hy-poglycemia were compared to subjects’ responses during a clinical interview. The interviews were analyzed with a functional behavior analytical approach. Results: A total of five subjects took part in the study. One subject perceived the uncooked cornstarch helpful in reducing hypoglycemia. Several subjects could recall frightening hypoglycemic episodes triggering their fear. Three out of the five subjects reported avoidance behaviors such as excessive self-monitoring of blood glucose or overeating related to fear of hypoglyce-mia. Conclusions: The uncooked cornstarch was found appetizing but was not perceived as having an effect on BG or hypoglycemia frequency. The clinical interviews confirmed previous research regarding experience of hy-poglycemia and fear of hypoglycemia.
Databáze: OpenAIRE