Understanding of diabetes mellitus in non‐diabetic adults

Abstract

What non‐diabetic adults know about diabetes does not seem to have been previously quantified in the UK. This information would be helpful in planning the education of newly diagnosed diabetics, their families and the public. Five hundred self‐administered questionnaires were completed by employed people in different parts of Avon County, England. Of these questionnaires, 436 were suitable for analysis. Total knowledge scores were greater for respondents in Social Classes 1, 2 and 3 non‐manual, compared with other social classes, and for respondents with diabetics amongst their family or friends, compared with persons not familiar with diabetics. At least 60% of respondents knew that diabetes was not an infectious disease, that the disease can be helped with treatment and that it is treated with diet and injections. Less than 30% of the respondents knew that diabetes may affect the feet, that it may affect the bowels, that some diabetics are not able to join the police force, or do shift work, that smoking is more dangerous for diabetics and that adults can lessen their chances of developing diabetes. Eighteen per cent thought that diabetes need not be managed by either a general practitioner or hospital. The correct first aid management of unconscious diabetic patients was also not widely appreciated. These findings show that diabetes is poorly understood in the community. For the newly diagnosed diabetic and for the public, background knowledge, expectations and misconceptions about the disease still need to be identified and corrected.

Information Needs of Patients and Visitors in a District General Hospital

“…45% of patients in one study sited the liver in the supra pubic region (Bayle, 1970). Common conditions such as diabetes are also misunderstood by the public (Hoghton et al, 1987). In this context there are many interesting new learning opportunities in health educa-tion.…”

Psychometric properties of a nationwide survey for adults with and without diabetes: the “disease knowledge and information needs – diabetes mellitus (2017)” survey

“…Among people with diabetes these were: the optimistic bias subscale of the Risk Perception Survey-Diabetes Mellitus (RPS-DM) [28]; the personal control subscale of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) [29,30]; the self-care ability subscale which was adopted from the Diabetes Care Profile (DCP) [31]; diabetesrelated stigmatization with two items adopted from the Diabetes Representative Survey [32] and a new item based on the Type 2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale (DSAS-2) [33]; the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale -Five-item Short Form (PAID-5) [34]; the Two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) [35]; the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care-DAWN Short Form (PACIC-DSF) [36]; and the Information Needs in Diabetes Questionnaire (IND) [37]. Among people without diabetes these were: the optimistic bias subscale of the Risk Perception Survey-Developing Diabetes (RPS-DD) [38]; the personal control subscale of the RPS-DD [38]; diabetes-related stigmatization with two items adopted from the Diabetes Representative Survey and a new item based on the DSAS-2 [33]; actual diabetes knowledge with two items adopted from Hoghton et al [39] and four new items; and the IND [37] (with only 5 items).…”