Many College Students Underestimate Diabetes Risk.
BACKGROUND
College students form long-lasting diet and health behaviors that are associated with an increased lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes. Thus, colleges and universities can be critical settings to increase awareness of diabetes risk and for nutrition education and health interventions. However, it is not clear if high-risk students recognize the likelihood of diabetes in their future.


OBJECTIVE
To assess personal risk perceptions of a sample of multiracial college students with three or more known risk factors for diabetes, and to identity characteristics of students with an unrealistic perception of their future risk.


METHODS
Self-reported data on health and behavior were collected from 1,579 students from three urban colleges. The students at high risk (n=541) for diabetes were categorized as having either a realistic or unrealistic perception of their future risk of diabetes. Characteristics of the two groups were examined using multivariate logistic regression.


RESULTS
Approximately 61% of the high-risk students recognized they were more likely to develop diabetes than others, while the remaining 39% did not perceive their personal risk to be high. The under-estimators were significantly more likely to be male (p=0.010), have no family history of diabetes (p=0.029), and be born outside the United States (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The under-estimators, an unrealistically optimistic high-risk group, warrant attention, as an unrealistic perception may reduce their likelihood of taking preventive actions to diminish the threat. There is a pressing need to heighten knowledge and awareness of diabetes risk and to develop models of health education and behavior change that are both relevant and effective for young adults.
New York Institute of Technology, School of Health Professions, Northern Boulevard, PO Box 8000, Old Westbury, NY 11568-8000, USA. Tel 516-686-3803, fax 516-686-7804. lmongiel@NYIT.edu.
Lorraine Laccetti
LL
Mongiello
Nicholas
N
Freudenberg
Hollie
H
Jones
Arlene
A
Spark
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult