Alcohol, diabetes and the student body

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions of adolescence and young adulthood. It is characterized by a demanding and complex management regime. Individuals with diabetes must engage in continual self-care actions if they are to minimize their risks of developing long-term diabetes' complications. Research has demonstrated, however, that many young adults experience difficulties engaging in these types of practice, and indeed often engage in practices that are risky for their diabetes control. Narrative approaches could provide important insights into the reasons why young people engage in risky activities. In this article, the narratives of a particular group of young adults with Type 1 diabetes (university students) are examined to see what social and spatial factors underlie their risky alcohol consumption practices. This paper contributes to geographical research on risk and chronic illness, and to understandings of the interactions between bodies, spaces and risk.

Keywords:

• Diabetes
• student
• risk
• young adult
• alcohol
• consumption
• space

Acknowledgements

I would sincerely like to thank the respondents and university health services that took part in this study. I would like to thank Gill Valentine, Peter Jackson and Michael Brown for advice on the first draft of this paper. I appreciatively acknowledge the insightful and helpful comments of Andy Alaszewski and the two anonymous referees. Their input has greatly improved this paper.