Influence of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus on Women's Nutritional Beliefs and Lifestyle Choices for Themselves and Their Families.

The aim of this research was to examine the impact of type 1 diabetes on women's nutritional beliefs and their lifestyle choices both for themselves and for their families. The data sources used were the online databases of OVID, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsyINFO, PsyARTICLE, ERIC, Health Source Nursing/Academic edition, and the Centers for Disease Control from January 2000 to 2012. The concentration of the search was to identify literature with the key words "nutrition," "lifestyle," or "women with type 1 diabetes." The researchers found 28 data-based research articles that examined women with type 1 diabetes. The articles were individually scrutinized for relevance and limited to English language articles. Data concerning the nutritional beliefs, lifestyle choices, andfamily dynamics among women with DM1 were extracted. The research articles consisted of 19 qualitative studies, 7 quantitative studies, and 2 theory-testing studies. The themefor the studies included, but was not limited to, birth size, eating disorders, complications of diabetes mellitus, theory testing, documentations of effectiveness, estimations of carbohydrates, weight, changes during pregnancy in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and their educational preferences. This integrative review described the effects of DM1 on women's nutritional belief and lifestyle choices. Results demonstrated the importance of education and follow-ups; however, future studies are needed to identify factors that contribute to noncompliance and waysfor patients to comprehend the seriousness of complications that can arise from type 1 diabetes mellitus.