Transgenerational Preventive Practices of Diabetes Mellitus Type II Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Cochin, India

INTRODUCTION: The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus type II (DM type II) has been increasing relentlessly over the past few decades despite amassing a great body of evidence regarding its causation and prevention. OBJECTIVE: To determine the practices of DM type II patients to prevent the disease in their children. METHODOLOGY: This is a mixed-methods study at a tertiary care teaching hospital. DM type II patients attending the department of endocrinology and its urban health center were the study participants. Data were collected using an investigator-administered questionnaire and in-depth interviews. A total of 137 patients were included in the quantitative part, and 16 in-depth interviews were conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed by SPSS software, and qualitative data were analyzed manually. RESULTS: Nearly 62% of the patients had a family history of DM type II, 62% of the patients were aware of the genetic risk of the disease, and 26% of the patients had tried some form of preventive measure. Most of them advised their children to be careful about diet and exercise, but did not implement any specific or sustained behavioral change. The main reason was that the patients were not aware of the importance of the hereditary nature of the disease. Other reasons were children were grown up, were living separately, or did not appreciate the seriousness of the risk. CONCLUSION: There is a need to educate the patients about the hereditary risk of developing DM type II to empower them to implement preventive practices in their households.