Perception of Offspring Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Their Adult Offspring

Relatives of type 2 diabetic patients are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, as they are likely to share genetic predisposition and have similar lifestyle habits (1). To actively involve high-risk individuals in prevention, recognition of disease risk is crucial (2). Some studies have suggested that Japanese are genetically predisposed to diabetes (3,4), so recognition of risk by high-risk Japanese individuals is particularly important. In addition, patients with diseases involving genetic predisposition need to advise and warn their offspring about risks associated with the disease (5,6). Diabetic parents must therefore recognize the high-risk status of their offspring, but no studies have examined risk perception of parents and their offspring in Japan. This self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to clarify perceptions of Japanese type 2 diabetic patients regarding risk of diabetes in their offspring, as well as perceptions of adult offspring about their own risk for diabetes. Subjects in the present study comprised 164 pairs of type 2 diabetic patients (aged <75 years) receiving treatment at a general hospital's diabetes clinic located in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan, and their offspring (aged ≥20 but <50 years with no diabetes or glucose intolerance). After obtaining written informed consent to participate in the study, the patient and offspring completed an anonymous questionnaire separately, with a unique ID to identify …