1821-LB: Differences on Clinical Experiences with Health Care Providers and Disease Perceptions in Early-Onset vs. Later-Onset Koreans with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: To examine clinical experiences with healthcare providers and illness perceptions in Koreans with type 2 diabetes (T2D) categorized by age at diagnosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed. Of 315 contacts, 165 participants were recruited, comprising 60% men, mean age 46.9 ±12.3 years (range: 20 to 76 years) and mean HbA1c 7.3 ±1.5 %. Participants were divided into two groups based on their age at diagnosis: early-onset (<40 years) or later-onset ( ≥ 40 years). Clinical experiences with healthcare providers and illness perceptions were assessed using self-reported Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care survey (PACIC), rated on a scale of 1 to 5, and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, rated on a scale of 0 to 10, respectively. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS for Windows (version 9.2). The significance level was set at α = .05 (two-tailed).

Findings: Overall, patients were well-informed about treatment plans and options (mean ±SD: 3.8± 0.8), but there was less counseling on goal setting and action plans by healthcare providers, particularly for the later-onset group (mean± SD: 3.0±.8 vs. 2.7±.9, p = .04). Compared to the later-onset group, early-onset group reported that T2D significantly affected their life (6.1±2.5 vs.4.9±2.7, p=.003), experienced more severe symptoms (4.9±2.6 vs.3.9±2.6, p=.02), and had a greater negative impact of emotional well-being (5.5±2.6 vs.4.5±2.9, p=.02). Conclusions: Substantial evidence supports the effectiveness of behavioral goals in promoting behavior change. Individualized behavioral goal-setting and personalized counseling should be provided in clinical practice, especially for those with early-onset T2D who often require strategies to enhance their self-efficacy, mitigate negative perceptions of their health, and bolster empowerment in diabetes management.