Perceived Risk of Developing Diabetes Among College Students: Beliefs about Inherited and Behavioral Risk Factors Across the Life Course

Objectives – To determine how college students perceive their risk of developing diabetes over their life course, with specific emphasis on their beliefs about the influence of inherited versus behavioral risk factors.

Methods – An Internet-based survey instrument was administered to students of a major university and was analyzed for perceived risk of developing common chronic diseases. 703 students responded to the survey. A bivariate ordered probit regression model was used to simultaneously predict perceived risk for both ten-year absolute risk of diabetes and lifetime absolute risk of diabetes.

Results – Ten-year absolute risk and lifetime absolute risk were both increased when the respondent self-identified with a race other than white (β = 0.422, p = 0.000 and β = 0.334, p = 0.000, respectively), and when the respondent had an increasing number of family members with diabetes (β = 0.330, p = 0.000 and β = 0.450, p = 0.000, respectively). Beliefs linking behavioral risk factors to perceived risk of developing diabetes across the life course were not statistically significant.

Conclusion – Behavioral risk factors were not statistically significant predictors of perceived risk for developing diabetes across the life course. Inherited risk factors, such as race and number of family members with diabetes, were statistically significant predictors of perceived risk of developing diabetes across the life course. Evidence-based interventions about the role of behavioral risk factors in developing diabetes are needed.