Keywords
Risk Factors; Health vs. Non-Health Major; Family History; Diabetes Knowledge
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by the body’s inability to respond to the insulin that is being released or not enough insulin is released in comparison to the level of blood glucose. One important non-modifiable risk factor that can lead to type 2 diabetes is a family history of the disease. Individuals with a family history of diabetes are more likely to have increased knowledge and a negative risk perception of the disease. Previous literature indicates that college students are likely to have knowledge regarding type 2 diabetes but are more likely to have a positive outlook on their perceived risk factors of developing the disease despite this knowledge. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between family history of type 2 diabetes and perceived risk of developing the disease among college students. The study utilized a cross-sectional study design to collect survey responses from currently enrolled undergraduate students at UCF. Data was collected through Qualtrics survey using four survey instruments: demographics section, National Diabetes Survey, the Prediabetes Risk Test, and the Diabetes Knowledge Test-2. The survey allowed for data collection regarding family history of diabetes and student’s perceived risk of developing diabetes, a calculation of risk for pre-diabetes using student’s health traits, and student’s general knowledge of diabetes respectively. Results indicated that students with a family history of diabetes had an increased risk perception for the disease; however, there was no correlation between family history and knowledge of diabetes. Future research can be done on a broader population to further assess diabetes knowledge throughout different populations.
Thesis Completion Year
2024
Thesis Completion Semester
Summer
Thesis Chair
Saleh, Suha
College
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Thesis Discipline
Health Sciences
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
5 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Palled, Apoorva, "Knowledge and Risk Perception For Type 2 Diabetes Among College Students with a Family History of the Disease" (2024). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 230.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/230
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