A survey of over 1,000 users of the Diabetes Forum shows that the longer you’ve been a member of the Diabetes Forum, the more in control you feel about your diabetes.
Community participants were asked to fill in a survey and rate whether they feel they’re in control of their diabetes. When analysed, the results showed a clear trend linking the amount of time someone had spent on the forum with improvement in how they felt about their diabetes control.
Overall, 47% of respondents felt in control, rating themselves as agreeing or strongly agreeing they feel in control. For those very new to the forum, having joined within the last month, 35% felt in control. Of those that joined 1 to 2 years ago 46.2%. Those that had been on the forum for over 2 years scored the highest confidence with 51.5% feeling in control of their diabetes.
When duration of diabetes was accounted for, by only including those with type 2 diabetes and diagnosed since 2010, the results maintained a trend of improving confidence. For these participants confidence in diabetes control ratings were as follows:
Forum membership of less than a month: 35% felt in control
Forum membership of 1-2 years: 50% felt in control
Forum membership of over 2 years: 52% felt in control
The results show how effective the Diabetes Forum can be in improving confidence, allowing members to compare experiences of diet, medication and therapies, whilst also offering support and motivation.
