CONTEXT: This study compares responses to a COVID-19 health messaging survey between persons with and without diabetes. The online survey was available from March-July, 2020 in over 20 languages. The results of this study will guide the formation of effective communication tools for high-risk populations, such as those with diabetes, during the current and future pandemics.
OBJECTIVE: To understand how the increased risk of severe COVID-19 in persons with diabetes contributes to differences in knowledge, perception, and preferred information sources compared to the general population in the United States (U.S.).
STUDY DESIGN AND ANALYSIS: A convergent mixed methods survey instrument was used to collected study data. Quantitative analysis will be performed using generalized linear mixed (GLM) effect modeling to compare diabetic versus general U.S. population groups.
SETTING: Online survey. Population Studied: U.S. adults. Outcome measures: COVID-19 knowledge scores, understanding and intent to comply with CDC recommendations, preferred information sources, and level of trust in information sources.
RESULTS: Over 10,000 completed U.S. responses. Data analysis is in progress.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES: We anticipate that the data will show that persons with diabetes have more knowledge and greater worry about COVID-19. Additionally, we hypothesize that persons with diabetes will trust resources with greater scientific evidence more than persons without diabetes. The results of the survey will provide insight into the knowledge and concerns of high-risk patients during a pandemic in order to inspire action to reduce gaps in knowledge and direct high-risk patients to reliable resources in the future.
