Diabetes risk factors, diabetes and diabetes care in a rural Australian community

Abstract

Objective: To comprehensively describe diabetes-related risk factors, quality of care and patient-perceived barriers to care in a rural community. Design: Cross-sectional mail study, self-completed survey and retrospective chart review. Setting: Community and health services in Corryong, rural Victoria, Australia. Participants: Ninety-seven patients with diabetes and 495 with other diseases in the mail study, 84 with diabetes in the self-completed survey and 101 diabetic patient chart reviews. Main outcome measures: Self-reported lifestyle activities, uptake of health checks, metabolic measures and uptake of medication, and self-reported barriers to diabetes care. Results: Most residents wit..