Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major global health issue, with type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounting for over 90% of cases. Community pharmacies, given their accessibility, are well positioned to assist in early detection and management of T2D. This study evaluated post-pandemic T2D risk in a Portuguese pop...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/12/1558 |
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| author | Victoria Bell Ana Rita Rodrigues Vera Costa Catarina Dias Márcia Alpalhão Inês Martins Mário Forrester |
| author_facet | Victoria Bell Ana Rita Rodrigues Vera Costa Catarina Dias Márcia Alpalhão Inês Martins Mário Forrester |
| author_sort | Victoria Bell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major global health issue, with type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounting for over 90% of cases. Community pharmacies, given their accessibility, are well positioned to assist in early detection and management of T2D. This study evaluated post-pandemic T2D risk in a Portuguese population using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) across five community pharmacies. A total of 494 participants aged 40 or older without a prior diagnosis of diabetes were assessed. The mean FINDRISC score was 12.3, and 29.8% were identified as high or very high-risk, with 8.7% referred to general practitioners for follow-up based on elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Key risk factors include age, body mass index, waist circumference, lack of physical activity, and family history of diabetes. Lower educational levels were also associated with higher diabetes risk. Community pharmacies are shown to play an essential role in screening and educating at-risk populations, emphasizing the importance of physical activity, healthy diets, and regular monitoring. These findings reinforce the value of community pharmacists in mitigating T2D risk and enhancing public health outcomes through cost-effective, validated screening tools like FINDRISC. Finally, pre-pandemic FINDRISC studies discussed show similar results suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact the overall risk profile for T2D. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-36f976d8ac1144f680e052f965503bb0 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj-art-36f976d8ac1144f680e052f965503bb02025-08-20T02:00:23ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292024-11-011412155810.3390/life14121558Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening StudyVictoria Bell0Ana Rita Rodrigues1Vera Costa2Catarina Dias3Márcia Alpalhão4Inês Martins5Mário Forrester6Social Pharmacy and Public Health Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalSocial Pharmacy and Public Health Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalSocial Pharmacy and Public Health Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalGlow—Pharmaceutical Products, 2855-386 Corroios, PortugalGlow—Pharmaceutical Products, 2855-386 Corroios, PortugalGlow—Pharmaceutical Products, 2855-386 Corroios, PortugalUFUP—Unidade de Farmacovigilância, Universidade do Porto, 4200-450 Porto, PortugalDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a major global health issue, with type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounting for over 90% of cases. Community pharmacies, given their accessibility, are well positioned to assist in early detection and management of T2D. This study evaluated post-pandemic T2D risk in a Portuguese population using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) across five community pharmacies. A total of 494 participants aged 40 or older without a prior diagnosis of diabetes were assessed. The mean FINDRISC score was 12.3, and 29.8% were identified as high or very high-risk, with 8.7% referred to general practitioners for follow-up based on elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Key risk factors include age, body mass index, waist circumference, lack of physical activity, and family history of diabetes. Lower educational levels were also associated with higher diabetes risk. Community pharmacies are shown to play an essential role in screening and educating at-risk populations, emphasizing the importance of physical activity, healthy diets, and regular monitoring. These findings reinforce the value of community pharmacists in mitigating T2D risk and enhancing public health outcomes through cost-effective, validated screening tools like FINDRISC. Finally, pre-pandemic FINDRISC studies discussed show similar results suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact the overall risk profile for T2D.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/12/1558community pharmacydiabetesFINDRISCpublic healthCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Victoria Bell Ana Rita Rodrigues Vera Costa Catarina Dias Márcia Alpalhão Inês Martins Mário Forrester Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study Life community pharmacy diabetes FINDRISC public health COVID-19 |
| title | Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study |
| title_full | Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study |
| title_short | Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Pharmacy-Led FINDRISC Screening Study |
| title_sort | assessing type 2 diabetes risk in the post pandemic era a pharmacy led findrisc screening study |
| topic | community pharmacy diabetes FINDRISC public health COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/12/1558 |
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