More than half of people with diabetes who
take insulin injections to control their diabetes say they have
intentionally skipped an injection, with one-fifth of them reporting that
they do so "sometimes" or "often," according to a study being published
this month in Diabetes
Care.
Using an Internet survey of more than 500 U.S. adults, the study found that
57% of survey respondents with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes
purposefully failed to take their insulin shots at least occasionally. It
also found that older patients, those who were disabled, those who followed
a healthy diet and those with higher household incomes were more likely to
take their shots at the frequency prescribed. Students, those with type 2
diabetes, and those who took more injections were more likely to skip them.
Additionally, those who perceived more injection-related problems, such as
interference with daily activities and injection pain and embarrassment,
were more likely to skip injections.
"Intentionally skipping insulin injections may be more common than
clinicians think," said lead researcher Mark Peyrot, PhD, Department of
Sociology, Loyola University Maryland. "It's important for physicians and
other health care professionals to be aware of potential risk factors,
especially for patients who report
injection-related problems. We hope that in the future doctors will work
closer with patients to determine their individual needs, so that they can
better plan activities to facilitate patients' adherence with their
treatment regimens."