Preventive advice given by patients with type 2 diabetes to their offspring

BACKGROUND

Patients' advice-giving behaviour could be a useful preventive strategy for type 2 diabetes.

AIM

To investigate the conditions under which patients offer advice to their offspring and to assess the factors that facilitate advice giving.

DESIGN OF STUDY

Cross-sectional observational study.

SETTING

A general hospital with a diabetes clinic in a metropolitan suburb in Japan.

METHOD

Parents with type 2 diabetes (n = 221) who had offspring aged 20-49 years inclusive without diabetes completed a self-administered questionnaire containing items relating to advice-giving behaviour, demographic characteristics, risk perception, and their disease status.

RESULTS

A total of 184 (83.3%) patients responded that parental advice-giving behaviour is needed for their offspring, while 138 (62.4%) actually advised their offspring. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that patients who were female (odds ratio [OR] = 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03 to 3.65, P = 0.041), living with their offspring (OR =1.92, 95% CI = 1.04 to 3.57, P = 0.038), had complications (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.25 to 6.00, P = 0.029), or perceived that their offspring had a high risk of developing diabetes (OR =1.45, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.93, P = 0.011) were most likely to advise their offspring.

CONCLUSION

Patients with type 2 diabetes recognised the need to give advice about preventive behaviour to their offspring but were not necessarily engaging in advice-giving behaviour. Advice-giving behaviour was affected by the parents' own disease status, their perception of their offspring's risk of developing diabetes, and the relationship between the patients and their offspring.

Preventive behaviour in adult offspring of Type 2 diabetic patients and its relationship to parental advice

AIMS

This study was conducted to investigate preventive behaviour of offspring at risk of Type 2 diabetes, particularly focusing on the relationship between patients' behaviour of giving advice as parents.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was based on a self-reported questionnaire survey and was conducted at the diabetes clinic of one general hospital. Subjects were 164 pairs, comprising Type 2 diabetic patients ranging in age from 50 to 75 years and non-diabetic offspring ranging in age from 20 to 50 years.

RESULTS

Approximately half of patients' offspring were engaged in preventive behaviour; 51.2% to prevent weight gain and 50.6% to have a healthy diet. The proportion of offspring taking regular exercise was significantly less (40.2%) than those attempting weight control and eating a healthy diet (P = 0.0039, P = 0.0035, respectively). One hundred and six (64.6%) patients advised their offspring to change their lifestyle habits, such as with diet or exercise, for diabetes prevention. However, preventive behaviours in offspring, including preventing weight gain, having a healthy diet and taking regular exercise, were not facilitated by parental advice (P = 0.27, 0.92, 0.61, respectively). The offspring regarded medical professionals or mass media as reliable information sources, but not the family. However, they received information about diabetes most frequently from their family.

CONCLUSIONS

Although more offspring practised preventive behaviour than expected, they were less likely to exercise than to change their diet or attempt to control their weight. Parental advice did not facilitate offspring preventive behaviour. Further research is needed to discover how to mediate links between parental advice and offspring preventive behaviour.