How patients' attitudes and opinions influence self-care behaviours in type 2 diabetes. Insights from the French DIABASIS Survey.

Aim: This study evaluated the profiles of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) to identify sets of opinions and attitudes towards the disease that might influence self-care behaviours.

Methods: Altogether, 1,092 patients with T2DM, aged 45 or older from a large representative French cohort, completed a self-questionnaire exploring their knowledge and perceptions of diabetes, its impact on various aspects of daily life and self-management practices. Canonical and cluster analyses were used to identify sets of homogeneous 'profiles' of patients linking attitudes and opinions to specific disease-related behaviours (such as changes in lifestyle, drug compliance, treatment satisfaction, impact on everyday life and weight gain).

Results: Demographics of the T2DM study population were previously reported along with the main results (60% male; mean age: 66 years; mean age at diagnosis: 55 years; mean BMI: 29kg/m(2)). Five distinct patient types emerged from the typological approach: 'committed' (25%); 'carefree' (23%); 'bitter' (19%); 'disheartened' (19%); and 'overwhelmed' (15%). Each patient type defined a set of attitudes and beliefs towards T2DM that influenced disease-related behaviours, leading to different degrees of diabetes self-management.

Conclusion: The DIABASIS survey provides important information for diabetes care by identifying distinct patients' profiles that express different degrees of difficulty in implementing self-management. For this reason, patients in each category require different kinds of customized support from their physician to induce behavioural changes that may be key in improving their metabolic control.