Risk perception is not associated with attendance at a preventive intervention for type 2 diabetes mellitus among South Asians at risk of diabetes.

Objective: To evaluate the association between risk perception and attendance in a diabetes prevention programme among South Asians with a high risk for diabetes.

Design: An observational study. We measured risk perception during the baseline interview with causal beliefs, perceived susceptibility and perceived controllability. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between risk perception and attendance. We adjusted for relevant sociodemographic factors, screening results and psychosocial factors.

Setting: The Hague, the Netherlands.

Subjects: Five hundred and thirty-five Hindustani Surinamese (South Asians) aged 18-60 years from a lifestyle-versus-control intervention for the prevention of diabetes.

Results: In total, 68·2% attended the lifestyle or control intervention. Participants perceived lifestyle and heredity to increase the risk of diabetes and perceived increasing physical activity to decrease it. Only 44·2% of the participants perceived themselves as susceptible to diabetes and only those who perceived a family history of diabetes as a cause of diabetes appeared to be more inclined to attend. However, after adjustment for confounding, the association was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: Risk perception was not significantly associated with attendance. The results suggest that increasing the risk perception alone in this South Asian population is unlikely to increase the attendance at a diabetes prevention programme.