DIABETES MELLITUS

Definition

This topic refers primarily to those ever told by a doctor or nurse they have diabetes mellitus or high sugar levels in their blood or urine.

All types reported were recorded for the item 'whether ever told by a doctor or nurse':

• Diabetes - type 1
• Diabetes - type 2
• Diabetes - gestational
• Diabetes - insipidus
• Diabetes - type unknown
• High sugar levels.

More than one response was allowed.

For respondents who reported they currently had any type of diabetes, their condition was assumed to be long-term (of six months or more duration), with the exception of gestational diabetes (which is assumed to be short-term) and high sugar levels (which has an additional question to determine whether it was long-term). Those reporting only diabetes insipidus were recorded as a current, long-term condition and coded under other endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases. References to diabetes refer to diabetes mellitus only.

Estimates in all ABS publications exclude gestational diabetes and diabetes insipidus.

Population

Information was obtained for all persons in the 2014-15 NHS.

Methodology

Information about diabetes mellitus was first published in the National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15 based on a sample of 19,259 people. Additional information relating to actions taken for diabetes mellitus was also published in Health Service Usage and Health related Actions, Australia, 2014-15.

In the 2014-15 NHS, diabetes/high sugar level conditions are classified into one of the following condition status categories:

1. Ever told has condition, still current and long-term
2. Ever told has condition, still current but not long-term
3. Ever told has condition, not current
4. Not known or not ever told, but condition current and long-term

Respondents were asked:

• Whether they had ever been told by a doctor or nurse that they had diabetes and/or high sugar levels in blood or urine
• Whether their parents and/or siblings had been told by a doctor or nurse that they had diabetes (regardless of whether they reported having diabetes). (This question assists with calculations of diabetes risk using the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK)).
  

Those who had been diagnosed with diabetes or high sugar levels were asked:

• The age at which they were diagnosed
• The type of diabetes (where applicable)
• Whether they currently have Diabetes or high sugar levels.

Those reporting only diabetes insipidus were not asked any further questions.

Respondents reporting current diabetes are assumed to have long-term diabetes, with the exception of gestational diabetes which is considered to be short-term. If the respondent reported they currently had high sugar levels they were asked an additional question to determine whether their high sugar levels had lasted, or were expected to last, for six months or more (i.e. were long-term).

Respondents aged 50 years and over who had not been diagnosed with diabetes or high sugar levels, and those of any age who had not been diagnosed with diabetes or high sugar levels but had current, long-term heart or circulatory conditions, were asked whether they had been screened for diabetes in the last 3 years/ever been screened for Diabetes.

Those with diagnosed diabetes or diagnosed, current, long-term high sugar levels were asked:

• How often in the last 12 months they or someone else tested their blood glucose levels.

Those with diagnosed, current diabetes and diagnosed, current, long-term HSL were asked

• How often in the last 12 months they or someone else checked their feet
• Whether they were currently taking insulin every day and, if so, the age at which they started having insulin every day and the name or brand of insulin they take.

Those with current diabetes were also asked:

• Whether they had changed their eating pattern or diet because of diabetes, and whether they were currently following a changed eating pattern or diet
• Whether they had taken any (other) action to manage their diabetes in the last 2 weeks including (shown on a prompt card):
• Losing weight
• Exercised most days
• Taken vitamins/mineral supplements
• Taken natural/herbal treatments
• Other
• Whether they had an HbA1c test done in the last 12 months.

Respondents were then sequenced to the Actions module where they were asked questions about whether, and how many times, they had seen a GP, specialist, etc. in the last 2 weeks and last 12 months for their diabetes.

Respondents were asked in a later module about all medications and health supplements that they were taking, but not in relation to any specific condition.

See additional comments below re error in sequencing of HSL population.

Data items

The questionnaire, data items and related output categories for this topic are available in pdf/Excel spreadsheet format from the Downloads page of this product.

Interpretation

Points to be considered in interpreting data for this topic include the following:

• Because this is a household-based survey, those people with diabetes resident in hospitals, nursing or convalescent homes, or similar accommodation are outside the scope of this survey. As a result, the survey will under-represent those with more severe complications of the condition.
• Gestational diabetes (ICD-10 detailed codes 754 and 949) is not considered a long-term condition and therefore is not counted in the estimates for diabetes or NHS Actions data. However, it does contribute towards NHS Diabetes module-specific data.

Comparability with 2011-12

In 2011-12, information about diabetes was collected in both the NHS and the NNPAS surveys (i.e. the AHS Core). Diabetes data are considered directly comparable between the 2014-15 NHS and 2011-13 AHS.

When making comparisons between 2014-15 and 2011-12 data it is recommended that:

• Where possible, comparisons are made using the Australian Health Survey: Updated Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.003) and Microdata: Australian Health Survey, Core Content - Risk Factors and Selected Health Conditions, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4324.0.55.003) for the most accurate information.
• For comparison of 2014-15 data with items which were only collected in the 2011-12 NHS, the Australian Health Survey: First Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.001) and Microdata: Australian Health Survey, National Health Survey, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4324.0.55.001) are used.
• For comparisons between 2014-15 and 2011-12 actions taken for condition data, the Australian Health Survey: Health Service Usage and Health Related Actions, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.002) and Microdata: Australian Health Survey, National Health Survey, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4324.0.55.001) are used.

In the National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15, data on diabetes refers to persons who reported having been told by a doctor or nurse that they had diabetes, irrespective of whether the person considered their diabetes to be current or long-term. This definition was first used for estimates of diabetes in Australian Health Survey: Updated Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.003). Estimates of diabetes for all years in the National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15 are presented using this definition. In earlier publications, persons who had reported having diabetes but that it was not current were not included. This change aligns the ABS definition with other prominent sources of diabetes data.