Physical and mental health of university athletes with and without Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that is characterised by fluctuations in blood glucose levels causing a patient to experience hypo- and hyperglycaemia. T1D is typically managed through exogenous insulin therapy and tight management regarding dietary intake. A key benefit aiding the management of T1D is physical activity (PA) due to its positive impact on the maintenance of blood glucose levels and its effect on mental health and overall lifestyle. Transitioning into the university lifestyle presents overwhelming factors that affect an athlete’s physical and mental health. Due to these factors, prioritising meeting the guidelines for physical activity and adequate nutritional intake may be lacking, contributing towards poorer mental well-being, and sleeping patterns. University athletes have additional accountabilities that they have to meet whilst juggling a range of academic and non-academic responsibilities that allow them to remain within university and ‘fit-in’ with social aspects. (Chapter 1) A literature review exploring the nature of T1D and how it affects those of an athlete status transitioning to university, considering PA, nutrition, mental well-being, and sleep. (Chapter 2) An experimental study investigating the impact of university lifestyles on the overall health, well-being, and performance of university athletes through the use of questionnaires within a university athlete population (n=98). (Chapter 3) A further experimental study investigating the adipose parameters and metabolic measures of university athletes, assessing whether there are differences between a T1D and non-T1D university athlete population. Exploring whether university lifestyles impact the overall health status of these groups despite the routine changes as a result of attending university.