A Study on the Expectations of Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes from Food and Beverage Companies

Abstract

In type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, the body perceives and attacks the beta cells in the pancreas as if they were touched by a foreign substance, destroying these beta cells. As a result, a lack of insulin occurs in the body and blood sugar reaches levels far above normal. In other words, individuals with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin or are able to produce very little. When this happens, they have to take insulin supplements from outside. The treatment is a diet program that should be performed with the use of insulin throughout life. Therefore, it requires a special daily diet. For this reason, people with type 1 diabetes have different expectations about eating behaviors in a food and beverage business outside their homes. In this context, the aim of the study is to establish the expectations of individuals with type 1 diabetes from food and beverage businesses. In the scope of the study, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 Type 1 diabetes patients using the semi-structured interview technique. According to research findings, people with type 1 diabetes have the most problems with eating in a food and beverage business; price height and menu deficiency are determined as. Small changes in the menus of food and beverage companies in such a way as not to increase the menu prices will increase the satisfaction level of individuals with type 1 diabetes.