Diabetes on the college campus

The body projects of university students with type 1 diabetes

Young adults with type 1 diabetes are a "forgotten group." Their perspectives are rarely addressed by research studies, meaning that we know little about the reasons why they engage (or not) in diabetes self-care practices. The limited work that has investigated these young people's perspectives suggests that they experience a tension between being healthy and being normal. In this article, I examine this tension from the viewpoints of a particular group of young adults with diabetes: university students. I examine what being normal means for these students and how their attempts to be normal impact upon their diabetes control. I argue that normalcy for these students is constructed and maintained through the body. Respondents attempt to be normal by engaging in what Shilling refers to as "body projects." Each of the body projects that students are involved in developing is intended to produce a particular kind of normal embodied identity that is unaffected by diabetes. Unfortunately, the constitutional practices of particular body projects often undermine those of others, and can be risky for students' diabetes control. As such, students have to reach a balance between their different body projects. This article helps to address the lack of research on the perspectives of young adults with diabetes, and contributes to theoretical research on the concept of body projects.

Office Management of the Adolescent with Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It causes disturbances in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. Environmental triggers superimposed on a genetic predisposition are responsible for the clinical expression of the syndrome. This article outlines current ideas in diagnosis and treatment of diabetes in adolescents. The"team approach" to outpatient diabetes management is described,with the hope that it will be of benefit to primary care physicians and their office staff. Advances in diabetes care regimens, and tools used in diabetes care are briefly summarized. Summary tables are provided to assist in routine care, troubleshooting, and advanced management.