Diabetes Risk Communication Tool Evaluation

Overview

Prevention for Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)has been vast but with limited success. While Singaporeans have high knowledge about T2D, its symptoms, and risk factors, healthy practices are still sub-optimal. Upon a qualitative investigation, it was found that there is little to no urgency to engage in T2D preventative behaviour due to to the low perceived threat, and high costs from required lifestyle changes relative to the benefits. Hence, this project targets to communicate the risk of diabetes in a more salient and effective way to improve the intention of preventative behaviour by targeting the constructs of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and increasing the threat and coping appraisals. The current available diabetes risk assessment tool's result page provides a binary output: "Higher vs Lower" Risk of being pre-diabetic. This aligns with the usual care practiced in clinics currently; patients are told if they are pre-diabetic or not. It does not provide any personalized or relevant tips on how to reduce risk. Hence, there was a demonstrated need to develop risk assessment tools that increase threat appraisal and communicate T2D risk in a more salient way to motivate the intention of behaviour change. The investigators developed two tools: Relative Risk, and Metabolic Age. The Relative Risk prototype demonstrates the user's relative risk on a scale of 1 to 10, in comparison to someone of the same age and sex. The number 1-10 represents their position in the percentile distribution of their risk scores. The Metabolic Age is identified by matching the risk score's percentile position to percentile of the incidence of T2D. The median age of the people in that percentile is reflected as the metabolic age. The primary objectives of this study is to evaluate which of these risk presentations (Usual care, relative risk, or metabolic age) evoke (i) effective cognitive and emotional responses to risk results and (2) motivation for the intention of behaviour change. The secondary objective is to provide empirical evidence for using PMT constructs in intervention development. The hypothesis is that those who are exposed to the Metabolic Age risk assessment and communication tool will have the most effective cognitive and emotional response, and the highest intention of engaging in behaviour change, followed by those exposed to relative risk, and then standard of care.