More People in the Know.

PHILADELPHIA — Much to the surprise of diabetes educators here, many patients with diabetes are still unaware of its deleterious nature or that it could be delayed or prevented, according to survey results presented here at the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting and Exhibition.

According to Linda Siminerio, PhD, BSN, RN, CDE, FAAN, of the University of Pittsburgh, the National Diabetes Education Program was established in 1997 to improve diabetes management and reduce the morbidity and mortality from diabetes and its complications. 

 

Linda Siminerio

“These survey results provide information that helps the NDEP take the next steps in developing tools, web information and future applications; to develop strategic plans for diabetes educators to use in the primary prevention of diabetes,” Siminerio said during a presentation here.

NDEP survey results

The national probability sample included non-institutionalized adults (aged 45 years and older in 2006; 35 years and older in 2008 and 2011) via households with landline telephones only, according to Siminerio. Patients were categorized as: people with diabetes, people with prediabetes, people at risk and all others.

According to data presented here, patients in the >45 years-of-age group self-reported they have heard about HbA1c and prediabetes, and that diabetes could be prevented. However, when asked, many patients did not consider diabetes as a serious disease.

“It’s a little disappointing that the number [of patients who consider diabetes a serious disease] is starting to go down a bit. We need to emphasize the importance of diabetes as a serious disease in all populations. The fact that the number is going down is certainly something we have to pay attention to,” Joanne Gallivan, MS, RD, from the National Institutes of Health, said during the presentation.

Patients were also asked to weigh-in on what they considered to be serious adverse health outcomes due to diabetes. Blindness was ranked as the most serious, followed by: amputation, kidney disease, heart conditions, death, heart attack, foot ulcers, cardiovascular disease, stroke and hypertension.

“We were surprised people at high risk don’t understand they’re at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The important message we need to get across is that you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes,” Gallivan said.

Hispanic and black patients

Data indicate that 61% of Hispanics surveyed in 2008 said they were aware diabetes could be prevented; that number increased to 76% by 2011. Moreover, these patients were familiar with the term “prediabetes” (31% in 2008 vs. 50% in 2011), had heard of a blood test for diabetes (89% in 2008 vs. 94% in 2011) or HbA1c (34% in 2008 vs. 42% in 2011), and had their HbA1c checked at least once in the prior 12 months (42% in 2008 vs. 56% in 2011), according to data.

Data also indicate 70% of blacks surveyed in 2008 said they were aware diabetes could be prevented vs. 86% of blacks in 2011. Only 32% of these patients were familiar with the term “prediabetes” in 2008 vs. 39% in 2011. However, there was no change in the number of patients who considered diabetes a serious disease (93% in 2008 and 2011), Siminerio said.

“That is really abysmal. We have a lot of work to do to communicate prediabetes to this population,” she said.

The majority of patients who were surveyed said advice they most frequently followed from a diabetes educator was to: reduce fat intake, take aspirin and lose weight. Plans for a revised survey are underway, according to the presenters. – by Samantha Costa

For more information:

Siminerio L. #W01. Presented at: American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting and Exhibition; August 7-10; Philadelphia.