Raewyn Barry

Citation

Thesis Title
Starting the Conversation about Eating and Body Image: The Clinical Experience of Young Women with Type 1 Diabetes

Read article at Massey Research Online:

A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes may introduce or exacerbate psychological and psychosocial stressors for young women, including eating, weight, and body image issues. These issues disturb eating behaviours and may threaten optimal health outcomes for these women. To understand the milieu in which eating, weight and body image issues emerge, Ms Barry explored the lived experience of young women with type 1 diabetes. Her findings indicate that for many of the participants, living with diabetes interfered with living a “normal” life and most of them struggled with eating, weight, and body image issues. However, exploring the clinical experience, Ms Barry found that these issues may not always be talked about in clinical situations. Starting the conversation about eating, weight, and body image issues may provide an opportunity for identifying antecedents of disturbed eating behaviours. In addition, routinely screening for them may allow for intervention before such behaviours become entrenched.

Supervisors
Associate Professor Joanne Taylor
Mrs Cheryl Woolley
Professor Christine Stephens
Mrs Maria Berrett