Mina Kim1, Young-Hoon Lee2,3

1Department of Nursing, Graduate School, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea 2Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea 3Regional Cardiocerebrovascular Center, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Korea


Background: This study aimed to determine whether the levels of healthcare indicators vary according to the duration of diabetes in diabetic people.
Methods: From the 2018 Korean Community Health Survey, a total of 20,113 diabetic people aged 40-79 years were analyzed. The distribution of people with diabetes and its corresponding diabetes duration were as follows: 34.9%, less than 4 years; 22.4%, 5-9 years; 18.9%, 10-14 years; 9.4%, 15-19 years; and 14.1%, more than 20 years. Outcome variables included eight health behavior indicators and seven diabetes management indicators.
Results: After adjusting for the sociodemographic characteristics, the longer the duration of diabetes, the less alcohol drinking and the more influenza vaccination was availed, whereas the regular tooth brushing, perceived usual stress, and perceived depressive symptoms tended to be unhealthy. Smoking, regular walking, and utilizing food nutrition label did not differ based on the duration of diabetes. Moreover, blood glucose control was evaluated to be poorly controlled as the duration of diabetes lengthened; however, diabetes management education and medical institution services (glycated hemoglobin measurement, diabetic retinopathy screening, and diabetic nephropathy screening) tended to increase significantly. There was also no difference in relation to diabetes duration in the recognition of early symptoms of myocardial infarction and stroke, which are the major complications of diabetes.
Conclusions: People with long-lasting diabetes are at a higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications; therefore, more active community strategies are needed to improve their health behavior.
Korean J Health Promot 2020;20(3):91-101