Factors associated with psychological and behavioral functioning in people with type 2 diabetes living in France.

BACKGROUND: To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with psychological and behavioral functioning (PBF) in people with type 2 diabetes living in France. METHODS: In March 2002, approximately 10,000 adults, who had been reimbursed for at least one hypoglycemic treatment or insulin dose during the last quarter of 2001, received a questionnaire about their health status and PBF (3,646 responders). For this analysis, the 3,090 persons with type 2 diabetes, aged 18-85 years old were selected.PBF was measured with the adapted version of the Diabetes Health Profile for people with type 2 diabetes. This permitted the calculation of three functional scores - psychological distress (PD), barriers to activity (BA), and disinhibited eating (DE) - from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). RESULTS: Major negative associations were observed with PBF for microvascular complications (a difference of 6.7 in the BA score between persons with and without microvascular complications) and severe hypoglycemia (difference of 7.9 in the BA score), insulin treatment (-8.5 & -9.5 in the PD & BA scores respectively, as compared to treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents), non-adherence to treatment (-12.3 in the DE score for persons forgetting their weekly treatment), increasing weight (-8.5 & -9.7 in the PD & DE scores respectively, as compared to stable weight), at least one psychiatrist visit in 2001 (-8.9 in the DE score), and universal medical insurance coverage (-7.9 in the PD score) (due to low income). CONCLUSION: Prevention and management of microvascular complications or adherence to treatment (modifiable factors) could be essential to preserving or improving PBF among people with type 2 diabetes. A specific approach to type 2 diabetes management may be required in groups with a low socioeconomic profile (particularly people with universal medical insurance coverage), or other non modifiable factors.

[Adapted physical activity and patient education in the French diabetes networks]. / Activité physique adaptée et éducation du patient dans les Réseaux Diabète français.

A thorough questionnaire-based survey of French diabetes networks depicts an accurate description of the services they offer, in particular concerning physical activity. Often considered as less important than medicinal monitoring and dietetics, physical activity is at the core of a new professional dynamic. Practical sessions of adapted physical activity are presently offered in half the networks, as either one-time awareness-raising sessions or a complete series of sessions. Sports medicine educators seem to constitute an emerging professional group within a framework which aims to complement information provided to patients by skills-building through group sessions. Two distinct perspectives emerge as being linked to intervention methods: the first one aims to educate about physical activity, while the second aims to educate through physical activity.