by Christina Jones
For children and young people with Type 1 Diabetes, food is more than just something to eat. It plays a big role in keeping them healthy. But having to think a lot about food, insulin, and blood sugar can sometimes lead to unhealthy eating habits. Research shows that children with Type 1 Diabetes are more likely to develop problems like eating too little, overeating, or skipping insulin on purpose, which can be dangerous (Young et al., 2013).
To help with this, researchers at the University of Surrey created PRIORITY, a brief intervention that teaches parents how to support their children in building healthy eating habits (Jones et al., 2022; O’Donnell et al., 2022). Early results show that this intervention could be a helpful way to prevent eating problems before they start (Jones et al., 2024).
A parent-led approach to prevention
Parents play a big role in helping children with Type 1 Diabetes build healthy eating habits. The PRIORITY study tested a new way to support parents through two online workshops. In these sessions, parents learned how to:
- Talk about food and weight in a helpful way.
- Notice early signs of unhealthy eating.
- Encourage their child to manage diabetes independently.
- Use simple, everyday strategies to support healthy eating.
The sessions were facilitated by clinical psychologists and researchers, and parents also had access to online resources to reinforce what they learned.
Promising results and positive feedback
Of the 89 parents who joined the study, which was more than expected, half were randomly chosen to take part in the workshops immediately. Randomisation is important because it makes sure that any differences in results are due to the intervention itself, not other factors like family background or diabetes history. Of those assigned to the intervention, 97% of those who attended the first session returned for the second. This high retention is a great sign; since most parents stayed involved, it suggests that this intervention could be appealing to many families. Parents found the workshops helpful, especially the chance to learn from both experts and other parents going through similar challenges. The study showed some positive early results, including:
- Parents felt more confident in talking about eating behaviours with their children.
- Children showed moderate improvements in recognising when they were full (satiety responsiveness) and had small positive changes in their body mass index.
- There were early signs that the intervention helped reduce disordered eating behaviours and lowered parents’ stress about managing diabetes.
Future research and implementation
While the intervention was well-received and shows promise in preventing T1DE, researchers acknowledge areas for improvement. For example, using children’s medical records instead of parent reports to get more accurate health data and following up with more families for longer than 3 months to see if these early improvements last. Additionally, ensuring that the intervention is accessible to a diverse range of families should be a priority for future research.
The next steps involve conducting a larger trial to confirm the PRIORITY intervention’s effectiveness, with careful consideration of how this could be implemented within diabetes services. If successful, this parent-focused approach could become a standard part of diabetes care, helping families navigate the complex relationship between diabetes management and healthy eating habits.
Christina Jones is a Professor of Clinical Health Psychology in the school of Psychology at the University of Surrey. The PRIORITY Trial was supported by Diabetes UK (award number 19/0006123).