02417nas a2200169   4500000000100000008004100001100001400042700001700056700001800073700001200091700001600103700001400119700002000133245015300153520192700306022001402233       2018                            d1 aZoungas S1 ade Courten B1 aNanayakkara N1 aPease A1 aRanasinha S1 aWischer N1 aAndrikopoulos S00aYounger people with Type 2 diabetes have poorer self-care practices compared with older people: results from the Australian National Diabetes Audit.3 a<p>
<b>AIM: </b>This cross-sectional study compares the self-care practices of younger and older people with Type 2 diabetes.
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<b>METHODS: </b>Data were analysed from the Australian National Diabetes Audit (ANDA) including 2552 adults with Type 2 diabetes from Australian Diabetes Centres. Pre-specified demographic and clinical variables were obtained. Self-care variables (physical activity, following dietary recommendations, medication adherence and monitoring blood glucose levels) were compared in people ≤&nbsp;64 and &gt;&nbsp;64&nbsp;years of age.
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<b>RESULTS: </b>Mean age (±&nbsp;sd) of participants was 63&nbsp;±&nbsp;13&nbsp;years overall, 53&nbsp;±&nbsp;9&nbsp;years for the younger group and 73&nbsp;±&nbsp;6&nbsp;years for the older group. A greater proportion of younger people had HbA levels &gt;&nbsp;53&nbsp;mmol/mol (&gt;&nbsp;7.0%) (76% vs. 68%), reported difficulty following dietary recommendations (50% vs. 32%) and forgetting medications (37% vs. 22%) compared with older people (all P-values &lt;0.001). A smaller proportion of younger compared with older people reported monitoring their blood glucose levels as often as recommended (60% vs. 70%, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). Similar proportions of people aged ≤&nbsp;64 and &gt;&nbsp;64&nbsp;years required insulin therapy (59% vs. 57%, P&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.200). Younger age was associated with a twofold increase in the odds of not following the recommended self-care practices after adjustment for gender, smoking, insulin therapy, depression and allied health attendance (all P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001).
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<b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Despite shorter diabetes duration, younger age was associated with worse glycaemic control and poorer diabetes self-care practices among people with Type 2 diabetes. Targeted strategies are required to optimize diabetes self-care practices and thereby glycaemic control.
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