Are Malaysian Type 2 Diabetes patients willing to be trained to speak to their offspring about risk of diabetes and preventive measures?

Background: Offspring of type 2 diabetes patients have an absolute risk of 20-40% of developing the condition. Type 2 diabetes patients should be encouraged to speak to their offspring regarding diabetes risk and prevention strategies. The Health Belief Model conceptualises that the higher the perceived risk, the more likely an individual will modify their behaviour. The objectives of this study were to i) determine the distribution of type 2 diabetes patients regarding their willingness to accept training to speak to their offspring, ii) determine the distribution of type 2 diabetes patients regarding their willingness to accept training based on the HBM and iii) to determine the factors associated with their willingness to accept training.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study amongst type 2 diabetes patients attending two primary care clinics in Malaysia. Sociodemographic data and knowledge of diabetes risk factors were collected. The adapted, translated and validated Diabetes Mellitus in the Offspring Questionnaire-Malay version (DMOQ-Malay) was self-administered. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, univariate and multiple logistic regression (MLogR).

Results: A total of 425 participants were recruited. Of these, 61.6% were willing to accept training. In MLogR, six variables were found to be significantly associated with willingness to accept training. These were i) positive family history [Adj. OR 2.06 (95% CI: 1.27, 3.35)], ii) having the correct knowledge that being overweight is a risk factor [Adj. OR 1.49 (95%CI: 1.01, 2.29)], iii) correctly identifying age ≥ 40 years old as a risk factor [Adj. OR 1.88 (95%CI: 1.22, 2.90)], iv) agreeing that speaking to their offspring would help them to prevent type 2 diabetes [Adj. OR 4.34 (95%: 1.07, 17.73)], v) being neutral with the statement 'I do not have much contact with my offspring' [Adj. OR: 0.31 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.810] and vi) being neutral with the statement 'my offspring are not open to advice from me' [Adj. OR: 0.63 (95% CI: 0.31, 0.84].

Conclusion: The majority of type 2 diabetes patients were willing to accept training to speak to their offspring to prevent diabetes. A training module should be designed to enhance their knowledge, attitude and skills to become family health educators.