P-170 Evaluation of the questionnaire of members of the Japan Association for Diabetes Education and Care

Abstract

We distributed a questionnaire to the members in July 2007. The members included doctors, nurses, pharmacists and people with diabetes. We surveyed the problems they felt in their daily life and whether there had been changes before and after they become a member of our association. We sent out questionnaires by post to all members who attended the headquarters of our association. We sent 4,000 questionnaires and received back 1967. The collection rate was therefore 49.175%. The results are as follows: 1) The ratio of Type 1 diabetes was 34% of the whole and Type 2 was 61%. 2) Research on how long it took to begin seeing a doctor regularly after people had been diagnosed with diabetes showed 58% of people with Type 1 diabetes began to see a doctor within 1 month, but 17% of them began after more than 6 years. As for people with Type 2 diabetes, 28% began under 1 month, while 30% began after more than 6 years. 3) Asked about suspension of treatment, showed the total of people who had suspended treatment was 10%. Of these, 68% with Type 2 diabetes had once, 25% of them had twice, while 45% with Type 1 diabetes had once and 40% of them had twice. 4) Research on whether the members were satisfied or not with the contents of our monthly journal “Sakae”. 78% of the members read it every month certainly and 20% of them read it sometimes. 35% the members are fully satisfied with the contents, and 52% of them are satisfied to some extent. 5). Asked whether there were changes in diet after becoming a member of our association as multiple answer questions. 32% became conscious of their intake of calories, with 28% not taking too much salt, sugar, and fat, 17% not eating snacks. There was no change for 31% people. 6) Asked whether there were changes in exercise after becoming the member of our association as multiple answer questions, 35% had tried walking more, whereas 39% had not changed their level of exercise. 7) Asked whether there had been a change in their knowledge about diabetes after becoming the member of our association as a multiple answer question, 67% felt their knowledge had progressed, 25% had begun gathering information about diabetes, while 15% did not consider their knowledge had changed. There are a relatively large number of people with Type 1 diabetes in our association, and even some of these people take a certain period to begin seeing a doctor. As for people with Type 2 diabetes, there is a bipolarization between before 1 month and more than 6 years. Nearly 80% of our members are satisfied with our monthly journal “Sakae”, and they learned about diet, exercise, knowledge about diabetes from this magazine. About 70% of members had changed their diet, 60% changed their exercise, and nearly 80% feel a change in their level of knowledge about diabetes. Our association contributes to the improvement of daily life of people with diabetes to some extent, but needs to make considerably more effort to provide people with more information about diabetes.