title: The effect of genetic counseling for adult offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes on attitudes toward diabetes and its heredity: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of diabetes genetic counseling on attitudes toward diabetes and its heredity in relatives of type 2 diabetes patients. This study was an unmasked, randomized controlled trial at a medical check-up center in Japan. Subjects in this study are healthy adults between 30 and 60 years of age who have a family history of type 2 diabetes in their first degree relatives. Participants in the intervention group received a brief genetic counseling session for approximately 10 min. Genetic counseling was structured based on the Health Belief Model. Both intervention and control groups received a booklet for general diabetes prevention. Risk perception and recognition of diabetes, and attitude towards its prevention were measured at baseline, 1 week and 1 year after genetic counseling. Participants who received genetic counseling showed significantly higher recognition about their sense of control over diabetes onset than control group both at 1 week and 1 year after the session. On the other hand, anxiety about diabetes did not change significantly. The findings show that genetic counseling for diabetes at a medical check center helped adults with diabetes family history understand they are able to exert control over the onset of their disease through lifestyle modification.
authors.affiliation: The Graduate School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences and Nursing, Department of Adult Nursing, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan, nishigaki-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishigaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokunaga-Nakawatase
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kazuma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged