Cent Eur J Public Health 2014, 22(4):223-228

Public Awareness about Diabetes: Cross Sectional Study of Lithuania's Residents

Lina Jaruseviciene1, Leonas Valius1, Alminas Jarasunas2, Gediminas Jarusevicius3
1 Department of Family Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
2 Novo Nordisk Pharma UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania
3 Department of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a growing health problem globally; however, awareness about diabetes remains low.

Aim: To assess the public perception of diabetes - how much does the public know about it? What are the beliefs about this challenging issue? Methods: A public opinion survey was performed in April 2012. Interviews with a random sample of 1,002 residents of Lithuania aged 16-74 were conducted in the households of the respondents. This sample took into account age, sex, education, employment, family status, and the size of the residential location. The topics covered by the 15-item questionnaire used for these interviews concerned the perceived severity of different health conditions and the respondents' knowledge of diabetes risk factors and normal glycemic indicators as well as their perceptions related to diabetes and insulin.

Results: More than half (56.3%) of respondents had previously undergone the glycemic control test, 33.8% of study participants were familiar with the normal parameters of glycemia. Diabetes was ranked fourth among 13 health problems (the top three were attributed to malignancies, AIDS and mental illnesses). The highest score of all risk factors for developing diabetes was attributed to obesity; however, obesity was never mentioned in associating with diabetes by participants. The perceptions people had about diabetes revealed marginally medicalized images of this health condition.

Conclusions: Study findings suggest the potential social stigmatization of diabetes and encourage looking for new ways in approaching the community as well as individual diabetic patients in regard to the issue of diabetes.

Keywords: diabetes, public opinion, diabetes risk factors, diabetes perception, health literacy

Received: June 1, 2013; Revised: September 5, 2014; Accepted: September 5, 2014; Published: December 1, 2014  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Jaruseviciene L, Valius L, Jarasunas A, Jarusevicius G. Public Awareness about Diabetes: Cross Sectional Study of Lithuania's Residents. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2014;22(4):223-228. PubMed PMID: 25622478.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Unwin N,Whiting D, Gan D, Jacqmain O, Ghyoot G, editors. IDF diabetes atlas. 4th ed. Brussels: International Diabetes Federation; 2009.
    2. Harris MI. Health care and health status and outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000 Jun;23(6):754-8.
    3. Schillinger D, Grumbach K, Piette J, Wang F, Osmond D, Daher C, et al. Association of health literacy with diabetes outcomes. JAMA. 2002 Jul 24-31;288(4):475-82. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Rothman R, Malone R, Bryant B, Horlen C, DeWalt D, Pignone M. The relationship between literacy and glycemic control in a diabetes diseasemanagement program. Diabetes Educ. 2004 Mar-Apr;30(2):263-73. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Yamashita T, Kart CS. Is diabetes-specific health literacy associated with diabetes-related outcomes in older adults? J Diabetes. 2011 Jun;3(2):13846. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Brega AG, Ang A, Vega W, Jiang L, Beals J, Mitchell CM, et al.; Special Diabetes Program for Indians Healthy Heart Demonstration Project. Mechanisms underlying the relationship between health literacy and glycemic control in American Indians and Alaska Natives. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Jul;88(1):61-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. von Wagner C, Knight K, SteptoeA, Wardle J. Functional health literacy and health-promoting behaviour in a national sample of British adults. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007 Dec;61(12):1086-90. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Nutbeam D. The evolving concept of health literacy. Soc Sci Med. 2008 Dec;67(12):2072-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Dewalt DA, Berkman ND, Sheridan S, Lohr KN, Pignone MP. Literacy and health outcomes: a systematic review of the literature. J Gen Intern Med. 2004 Dec;19(12):1228-39. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Coffman MJ, Norton CK, Beene L. Diabetes symptoms, health literacy, and health care use in adult Latinos with diabetes risk factors. J Cult Divers. 2012 Spring;19(1):4-9. Go to PubMed...
    11. Crandall JP, Knowler WC, Kahn SE, Marrero D, Florez JC, Bray GA, et al.; Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. The prevention of type 2 diabetes. Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jul;4(7):382-93. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, Knowler WC, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, Christophi CA, Hoffman HJ, BrennemanAT, et al. 10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. Lancet. 2009 Nov 14;374(9702):1677-86. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Zhang YH, Ma WJ, Thomas GN, Xu YJ, Lao XQ, Xu XJ, et al. Diabetes and pre-diabetes as determined by glycated haemoglobin A1c and glucose levels in a developing southern Chinese population. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37260. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Walker EA, Caban A, Schechter CB, Basch CE, Blanco E, DeWitt T, et al. Measuring comparative risk perceptions in an urban minority population: the risk perception survey for diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2007 Jan-Feb;33(1):103-10. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Weiland TJ, Nguyen M, Jelinek GA. Illness perception and knowledge with regard to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes: a pilot study of emergency department patients and staff. Eur J Emerg Med. 2012 Dec;19(6):353-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Pinelli NR, Berlie HD, Slaughter RL, Jaber LA. Risk perception for developing diabetes among pharmacists. Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Jun;43(6):1050-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Calvin D, Quinn L, Dancy B, Park C, Fleming SG, Smith E, et al.African Americans' perception of risk for diabetes complications. Diabetes Educ. 2011 Sep-Oct;37(5):689-98. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Broom D, WhittakerA. Controlling diabetes, controlling diabetics: moral language in the management of diabetes type 2. Soc Sci Med. 2004 Jun;58(11):2371-82. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Gollust SE, Lantz PM, Ubel PA. Images of illness: how causal claims and racial associations influence public preferences toward diabetes research spending. J Health Polit Policy Law. 2010 Dec;35(6):921-59. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Adams OP, Carter AO. Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers reported by patients receiving diabetes and hypertension primary health care in Barbados: a focus group study. BMC Fam Pract. 2011 Dec 2;12:135. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Tak-Ying ShiuA, Kwan JJ,Wong RY. Social stigma as a barrier to diabetes self-management: implications for multi-level interventions. J Clin Nurs. 2003 Jan;12(1):149-50. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Aljoudi AS, Taha AZ. Knowledge of diabetes risk factors and preventive measures among attendees of a primary care center in eastern Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 2009 Jan-Feb;29(1):15-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Weaver NF, Hayes L, Unwin NC, Murtagh MJ. "Obesity" and "Clinical Obesity" Men's understandings of obesity and its relation to the risk of diabetes: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2008 Sep 14;8:311. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Rosal MC, Borg A, Bodenlos JS, Tellez T, Ockene IS. Awareness of diabetes risk factors and prevention strategies among a sample of low income Latinos with no known diagnosis of diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2011 Jan-Feb;37(1):47-55. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Kiawi E, Edwards R, Shu J, Unwin N, Kamadjeu R, Mbanya JC. Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior relating to diabetes and its main risk factors among urban residents in Cameroon: a qualitative survey. Ethn Dis. 2006 Spring;16(2):503-9.
    26. Singh A, Milton PE, Nanaiah A, Samuel P, Thomas N. Awareness and attitude toward diabetes in the rural population of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Mar;16 Suppl 1:S83-6. Go to original source...
    27. Brod M, Kongsø JH, Lessard S, Christensen TL. Psychological insulin resistance: patient beliefs and implications for diabetes management. Qual Life Res. 2009 Feb;18(1):23-32. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content