Food Literacy and Type 1 Diabetes
Condition: Type1diabetes
MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The objective of the current study is to assess the prevalence of poor food literacy in young
      adults with type 1 diabetes through a national on-line survey. More specifically, the
      research question to be investigated as part of this project is: What is the current level of
      food literacy among young adults with type 1 diabetes? It is hypothesized that at least 50%
      of young adults with type 1 diabetes have a poor level of food literacy.
    

Detailed description: 
      Food literacy, the ability to plan and manage, select, prepare, and eat healthy foods, is a
      contemporary concept that provides a mechanism to understand the relationship between
      food-related knowledge, skills (ie., culinary competencies) and health behaviours and its
      impact on decision-making regarding dietary intake. The Diabetes Canada 2018 Clinical
      Practice Guidelines have recognized the role that food skills, a component of food literacy,
      have in managing glycemic control in patients living with type 1 diabetes. The guidelines
      also point out that no studies to date have investigated this skill level in the diabetic
      population and that interventions aimed at improving these skills would be beneficial for
      patients. There is therefore a need to assess the current level of food literacy among young
      adults with type 1 diabetes in order for future studies to develop targeted interventions.

      The project will be cross-sectional in design and data will be collected with an on-line
      questionnaire. This questionnaire will allow for the evaluation of the level of food literacy
      in young adults with and without type 1 diabetes. The online survey software that will be
      utilized is Survey Monkey.

      The study will be publicized through posts on Facebook©, Twitter©, and other forms of social
      media as well as on websites of collaborating diabetes organizations (see appendix B for a
      list of organizations). Participants interested in the study will be invited to go on the
      survey webpage. The first information presented will be the electronic consent form. If they
      have questions while reading the consent form, they will have the possibility to email or
      call a research assistant. Once they have agreed, they will be re-directed to the first
      question. The questionnaire takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. Completion of the
      questionnaire will trigger a page requesting them to email the study coordinator in order to
      be entered into the lottery for a chance to win an Ipad mini.

      The survey includes sociodemographic questions as well as medical and diet history. For
      participants with diabetes, this includes duration since their diabetes onset, types of
      treatments (insulin), application of carbohydrate counting and the "Type 1 Diabetes Nutrition
      Knowledge Survey". Items on actual food intake, such as fruits and vegetables, and
      self-efficacy regarding cooking are included. Food literacy will be evaluated using the
      "Short food literacy questionnaire (SQLF)", a short 12-item questionnaire that we adapted for
      Canada. A score for the SQLF will be calculated (maximum 52 points) and participants will be
      categorized under 4 different groups (Inadequate, Problematic, Sufficient, Excellent).
      Participants categorized in inadequate or problematic will be considered having low food
      literacy. Three questions regarding cooking ability were taken from the Canadian Community
      Health Survey (CCHS). Current sources of information regarding diet and nutrition, as well as
      questions to assess knowledge of chronic diseases linked to dietary intake, the frequency at
      which participants cook their own meals vs. eat out vs. consume prepackaged meals as well as
      specific dietary habits such as skipping breakfast will also be investigated. Lastly,
      perceived food environment will be assessed by asking questions regarding where participants
      shop for food and their satisfaction regarding the selection of food available to them.
    

Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Young adults (18-29) with type 1 diabetes.