TABLE 1.

Table of included studies

Author, Year	Participant characteristics	Study methods	Study aim	Themes
				1	2	3	4	Limitations
Country
Balfe, 2007a; Balfe, 2007b; Balfe and Jackson, 2007; Balfe, 2009a, Balfe, 2009b England	N = 17 T1DM 18–25 years 65% female	Individual interviews, and 2‐week diary, follow‐up interview after 4–6 months	To explore the perceptions and practices of university students with diabetes, including alcohol, food consumption and exercise, technology use in T1DM management, body image and identity, self‐care, reasons for these practices and whether these changed over time. Data interpreted through theoretical lens of morality and discipline	x	x	x	x	Limited quotes to represent themes
Bratke et al., 2020; Bratke and Sivertsen, 2021 Norway	N = 324 T1DM 18–35 years 64% female 5% immigrants	Cross‐sectional survey National survey university students	To examine diabetes management and diabetes distress among university students with type 1 diabetes and compare mental and somatic health, quality of life, alcohol use and sleep disorders between students with/no diabetes	x	x			Self‐reported data representativeness
Cockroft et al., 2019 USA	N = 1216 students 528 with diabetes from 117 colleges 18–24 years 62% female 22% minority	Cross‐sectional survey National college health survey data	To compare the health behaviours of college students with diabetes to college students without diabetes		x			Self‐selected sample Self‐reported data Type of diabetes unknown
Ersig, 2019 USA	N = 25 T1DM 18–24 years 84% female 16% minority	Cross‐sectional survey	To explore the transition to adulthood for college students with T1D and their parents	x	x		x	Small, non‐representative sample
Fedor et al., 2017 USA	N = 13 T1DM 18–22 years 69% female	Individual interviews	To describe the perceptions of first‐year college students with type 1 diabetes about the effect on diabetes management of transition from living at home to living independently at college	x	x	x	x	Limited quotes to represent themes, Transferability
Fredette et al., 2016 USA	N = 24, T1DM 18–24 years 88% female 4% minority	Individual interviews	To (a) explore the overall QoL for emerging adults living with T1DM while attending college and (b) to identify experiences managing their condition at college that affect their quality of life	x	x	x	x	Transferability
Habenicht et al., 2021 Ireland	N = 14, T1DM 18–28 years 50% female	Individual interviews	To explore the concept of social support in university students and to see how this may be influenced by disclosure		x	x	x	Nil noted
Hill et al., 2013 Canada	N = 9, T1DM >18 years 67% female	Two focus group interviews	To examine the lived experiences of university students with T1DM to better understand the challenges of living and coping with T1DM at this life stage	x	x	x	x	Small sample Transferability
Kellett et al., 2018 England	N = 584, T1DM 18–24 years 64% female	Cross‐sectional survey	To investigate the experiences of university students with T1DM and to describe the impact of transition to university on diabetes care and self‐care	x			x	Self‐reported data
Miller‐Hagan and Janas, 2002 USA	N = 11 T1DM N = 4 T2DM 18–40 years 73% female 12% minority	Individual interviews	To describe how college students with diabetes perceive and manage alcohol consumption			x	x	Transferability
Ramchandani et al., 2000 USA	N = 42, T1DM M age 21 years 64% female	Cross‐sectional survey	To examine the self‐reported impact of different factors on overall diabetes care of college students with type 1 diabetes	x	x	x	x	Small sample Self‐reported data Validity, reliability of survey
Ravert, 2009 USA	N = 450 Type NR 18–25 years 68% female 20% minoritiy	Cross‐sectional survey; data from national college health survey	To examine the use of nine common alcohol management strategies among college undergraduates with diabetes to determine which strategies predicted reduced alcohol consumption and consequences			x	x	Self‐reported data
Ravert et al., 2015 USA	238 posts from nine social networking sites	Content analysis of online diabetes forums	To examine the experiences encountered by students with diabetes transitioning into and through college	x	x		x	Transferability Participant characteristics unknown
Saylor et al., 2018 USA	N = 371, T1DM 18–30 years, Sex NR 66% general, 34% affiliated CDN members	Cross‐sectional online survey	To examine the characteristics and health outcomes of college students with T1DM as it relates to membership involvement in a local university‐based diabetes student organisation				x	Validity, reliability of survey Selection bias Self‐reported data Potential recall bias Error in data table (corrected)
Saylor et al., 2019 USA	N = 12, T1DM <5 years 19–26 years 58% female	Focus group CDN member event	To understand the experience of emerging adults with a relatively new T1DM diagnosis who are assimilating to college life	x	x	x	x	Transferability
Thomas et al., 2021 USA	N = 61, T1DM 74% <25 years 54% female 10% minority	Cross‐sectional study	To examine the relationship between perceived stress, coping and self‐care	x				Self‐reported data Small sample size Representativeness
Wdowik et al., 1997 USA	N = 25 T1DM 18–35 years 68% female	Focus groups and individual phone interviews	To identify factors that affect the ability and motivation of college students to engage in appropriate self‐care behaviours for successful management of diabetes	x	x	x	x	Limited quotes to represent themes.
Wdowik et al., 2001 USA	N = 83, T1DM M age 25 years 57% female 17% minority	Cross‐sectional study	To develop the Diabetes College Scale (DCS) to identify predictors of diabetes self‐care	x				Small sample Self‐reported data Missing data Limited data reported Representativeness
Wilson, 2010 England	N = 23, T1DM 17–19 years 52% female	Semi‐structured phone interviews	To explore the experiences of young people managing their type 1 diabetes at college or university	x		x	x	No ethics approval Methods unclear
Wisk et al., 2021 USA	N = 122, T1DM 17–25 years 80% female 16% minority	Pilot trial of two versions of intervention	To investigate the acceptability of a digital health intervention to reduce alcohol use risk among college students with T1D and preference for peer or medical narrator		x		x	Unvalidated questionnaires No control group Thematic text analysis not described

Note: Minority (populations): Non‐European/White. Theme 1: Barriers to self‐care at university; 2: Living with diabetes as a university student; 3: Identity, stigma and disclosure; 4: Strategies for managing diabetes at university.

Abbreviations: CDN, College Diabetes Network; NR: not reported; T1DM, type 1 diabetes; T2DM, type 2 diabetes.