The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #51018

Brenda L. Ralls, PhD¹, Michael D. Friedrichs, MS², William F. Stinner, PhD³, Craig Merrill¹, Sandra Assasnik, MA¹, and Ladene Larsen, RN². (1) Utah Diabetes Control Program, Utah State Department of Health, PO Box 142107, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2107, 801-538-6083, bralls@utah.gov, (2) Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Health Promotion, PO Box 142107, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2107, (3) Department of Sociology, Utah State University, UMC 0730, Logan, UT 84322-0730

Diabetes is a silent disease that is often diagnosed only after serious and irreversible complications have developed. Early detection can identify cases at the initial stages when interventions may be most effective. The increasing prevalence of diabetes, paralleling the aging of the population and the increasing rates of obesity, has become a compelling challenge for public health agencies. Too little is known, however, about whether those most at risk for diabetes are being screened. Less is known about how public perception of seriousness of diabetes impacts screening. Methods: For calendar years 1998 through 2000, diabetes awareness questions were appended to the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and asked of subsamples of respondents who had not been diagnosed with diabetes. Data are drawn from three years of combined data of the subsamples to generate a sample of 2,052 respondents. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of perception of seriousness of diabetes across a set of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and insurance status controls. Results: Approximately 40 percent of Utah adults without diabetes have never been tested. There is considerable variation in the percentage tested among subgroups. Perception of seriousness of diabetes appears to be a prominent predictor of screening across all controls.

Learning Objectives: After attending this session, participants will be able to

• Discuss the role of perception of seriousness of diabetes on screening behavior.
• Identify variations in subgroups at risk for not being screened for diabetes.
• Describe the relationships among sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, insurance status and perception of seriousness of diabetes on screening behavior.

Keywords: Diabetes, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.