It's up to me! Experiences of living with pre-diabetes and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus

Andersson, Susanne; Ekman, Inger; Lindblad, Ulf; Friberg, Febe

doi:10.1016/j.pcd.2008.09.001

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Volume 2, Issue 4 , Pages 187-193, December 2008

It's up to me! Experiences of living with pre-diabetes and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus

Susanne Andersson
- The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sweden
- Skara Primary Health Care Center, Sweden
- Corresponding author at: Skara Health Care Center, Malmgatan 36, 53232 Skara, Sweden. Tel.: +46 51130714; fax: +46 51132845.
Inger Ekman
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Box 457, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
- Tel.: +46 31 786 6014; fax: +46 31 786 6050.
Ulf Lindblad
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Primary Health Care, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden
- Tel.: +46 31 786 6831; fax: +46 31 786 1704.
Febe Friberg
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Box 457, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Norway
- Tel.: +46 31 786 6016; fax: +46 31 786 6050.

Received 26 June 2008; received in revised form 16 September 2008; accepted 24 September 2008. published online 10 November 2008.

Abstract

Aims

To explore experiences of pre-diabetes and the associated increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

Eight participants with pre-diabetes were interviewed for a 45–60min period. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach.

Results

Living with pre-diabetes means existing on the borderline of being healthy and suffering from T2DM. Three themes were formulated; “seeing possibilities in an uncertain future”, “facing obstacles and loss of liberty” and “balancing between possibilities and obstacles” Being on the borderline and balancing between possibilities and obstacles were interpreted as a distressing feeling of being at increased risk of developing T2DM, although this feeling can change to one of either facing possibilities or facing obstacles.

Conclusions

Special focus must be directed towards persons with pre-diabetes, as they are caught between possibilities and obstacles. Advanced care in the form of health dialogues can convince these people of their own abilities to influence the outcome of pre-diabetes. The result of this study can guide health care practitioners in comprehending each participant's understanding of the situation, thus helping them to create pedagogical dialogues in which patients’ experiences, conceptions, explanations as well as explicit and implicit questions are identified.

Keywords: Pre-diabetic state, Lifestyle, Nursing, Qualitative research, Primary health care, Phenomenological hermeneutics T2DM