Health Status Assessed by the SF-36 Along the Diabetes Continuum in an Australian Population

Objective: To examine the association of health status with stage along the diabetes continuum. Design, setting and participants: Self-reported health status (SF-36) was assessed in the North West Adelaide Health Study, a representative population cohort (n = 4060) aged 18 years and over in metropolitan South Australia. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG), undiagnosed diabetes, diagnosed diabetes, glycaemic control and cardiovascular disease were determined from fasting blood and self-reported data. Results: The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was 5.6% (95% CI: 4.9–6.3), with an additional 1.0% (95% CI: 0.7–1.4) previously undiagnosed. When compared to those with normal glucose, those with diabetes were significantly impaired on all SF-36 dimensions except Mental Health, and those with IFG (4.3%) were significantly impaired in terms of Physical Functioning and Bodily Pain when controlling for the effects of age, sex and cardiovascular disease. Poor glycaemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7.0%) was also associated with impaired health status. Conclusions: Health status is impaired not only among those with diagnosed diabetes but also those with IFG and undiagnosed diabetes.