2278-PUB: Motivation and Attitudinal Assessment in Patients with T1D Using Multiple Daily Injections or Insulin Pump Therapy

Objective: To assess the attitudinal impact of patients living with T1D in the United States. Methods: Between Sep 10th-Oct 21st, 2018, a representative sample of United States patients (n=600, 56% male, mean age 40.6 years, managing their T1D with multiple daily injections (MDI) or insulin pump therapy completed a 102-question online survey (5- or 7-point Likert scale) designed by Inspired Insight (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) in partnership with Medtronic. Respondent sample was identified and screened with standard methods. Analyses were conducted using Pearson’s correlation and quadratic equation modeling. Results: Of the respondents, 47% agreed that T1D is a burden, 65% agreed that they wished they could escape their disease, 60% felt they were in control of their diabetes, and 57% agreed that their diabetes did not define them. Additionally, 60% of the respondents felt they were very knowledgeable about their disease, 71% were very motivated to manage their disease, and 72% were very interested in learning more about managing their disease. The longer that respondents had been living with diabetes, the less likely they felt in control of managing diabetes (Pearsons’ r=-0.108, p=0.008). While at the same time, motivation to manage their disease tended to increase (p=0.073, non-linear regression) and the overall level of knowledge tended to increase (r=0.071, p=0.067). Conclusions: Not surprisingly, T1D is being perceived as a burdensome disease that many patients wish to escape from. Although patients who have been living with T1D longer feel that they lose control of diabetes management, they tend to become motivated to increase their knowledge toward better management of their diabetes.