People with diabetes in Denmark have specific worries related to COVID-19

Researchers from Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen and the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen conducted a survey to map COVID‐19‐specific worries and overall psychosocial health amongst people with diabetes in the initial phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Denmark.

Between 19 and 26 March, 2,430 adult (>18 years) members of two user panels at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen and the Danish Diabetes Association were asked to complete a questionnaire about their overall psychosocial health and their specific worries about having diabetes during the current COVID-19 crisis. The panels represent people being treated in different primary- and/or secondary-care settings across Denmark who have been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), gestational diabetes, or other rarer types of diabetes. In total, 1,396 diabetics responded to the questionnaire (response rate = 57 %) and were subsequently invited for so far four repeated surveys (until 14 May 2020).

 

Key findings:

  • More than half of the respondents were worried that, if they became infected with COVID‐19, they would be overly affected due to having diabetes
  • One‐third were worried about being characterised as a risk group due to having a diabetes diagnosis
  • One‐third were worried about not being able to manage their diabetes if they became infected
  • Amongst the respondents, certain factors were associated with being more worried about COVID‐19 and diabetes; for example, being a woman, having type 1 diabetes, having diabetes complications and diabetes stress, feeling isolated and lonely, and having changed diabetes behaviours.

 

These findings suggest that having diabetes during the current COVID-19 crisis may be associated with poorer psychosocial health. Such worries should be addressed through support targeting specific questions and needs of individuals with diabetes as well as frequent updates on new knowledge regarding COVID‐19 and diabetes.

The results of this study were published in the journal Diabetic Medicine. The full text is available here: “Diabetes and COVID‐19: psychosocial consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic in people with diabetes in Denmark—what characterizes people with high levels of COVID‐19‐related worries?”