title: Does Future Diabetes Risk Impair Current Quality of Life? A Cross-Sectional Study of Health-Related Quality of Life in Relation to the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Present study examines the relationship between the estimated risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We quantify the association between Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) and HRQoL, and examine the potential use of FINDRISC as tool to evaluate HRQoL indirectly.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study comprising 707 Finnish people without a diagnosis of T2D between the ages of 51 and 75 years. The risk of developing T2D was assessed using the validated and widely used FINDRISC (range 0-26 points), and quality of life was measured using two preference-based HRQoL instruments (15D and SF-6D) and one health profile instrument (SF-36). Effects of the individual FINDRISC items and demographic and clinical characteristics, such as co-morbidities, on HRQoL were studied using multivariable Tobit regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low HRQoL was significantly and directly associated with the estimated risk of developing T2D. An approximate 4-5 point change in FINDRISC score was observed to be associated with clinically noticeable changes in the preference-based instrument HRQoL index scores. The association between HRQoL and the risk of developing T2D was also observed for most dimensions of HRQoL in all applied HRQoL instruments. Overall, old age, lack of physical activity, obesity, and history of high blood glucose were the FINDRISC factors most prominently associated with lower HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings may help the health care professionals to substantiate the possible improvement in glucose metabolism and HRQoL potentially achieved by lifestyle changes, and better convince people at high risk of T2D to take action towards healthier lifestyle habits. FINDRISC may also provide an accurate proxy for HRQoL, and thus by estimating the risk of T2D with the FINDRISC, information about patients' HRQoL may also be obtained indirectly, when it is not feasible to use HRQoL instruments.
authors: Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Unit (PHORU), School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors: Saku
authors: S
authors: Väätäinen
authors: Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors: Henna
authors: H
authors: Cederberg
authors: Research Centre for Comparative Effectiveness and Patient Safety (RECEPS), Department of Health and Social Management, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Group Administration, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: Risto
authors: R
authors: Roine
authors: Center for Life Course Health research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Unit of Primary Health Care and Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors: Sirkka
authors: S
authors: Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi
authors: South Karelia Central Hospital, Lappeenranta, Finland.
authors: Jouko
authors: J
authors: Saramies
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, SILK, School of Medicine, University of Tampere and TAUH Eye Center, Tampere Finland.
authors: Hannu
authors: H
authors: Uusitalo
authors: Centre for Vascular Prevention, Danube-University Krems, Austria.|Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Diabetes Research Group, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.|Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dasman, Kuwait.
authors: Jaakko
authors: J
authors: Tuomilehto
authors: Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Unit (PHORU), School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors: Janne
authors: J
authors: Martikainen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors