Authors (including presenting author) :
Sun MP; Elaine Chow FC; Bonnie Wong LS; Lui LS, Hui YC; Psyche Mak KW; Koo SW
Affiliation :
Hong Kong Credible Care Volunteers Association
Introduction :
HbA1c reflects average plasma glucose over the previous eight to 12 weeks. There has been used as a diagnostic test for Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and as a screening test for persons at high risk of diabetes.
A grassroots community- based HbA1c survey was held in 2019 by the Hong Kong Credible Care Volunteers Association (HKCCVA) Website: http://www.hkccva.com, an officially registered charitable institution in Hong Kong formed by a group of nurse volunteers.
Objectives :
1. To early diagnose DM elderly in the grassroots community.
2. To increase the awareness of HbA1c monitoring for the elderly with DM.
3. To empower diabetic elderly through community patient education.
4. To promote health awareness in the grassroots community through nurses' voluntary groups.
Methodology :
1. A grassroots community- based blood HbA1c survey
Participants: elderly ≥ 65 with fasting ≥ 8 hrs
Venue: NGO elderly centre x 5 and public estates x 2
Date: May-Dec 2019
Point-of-care HbA1c Analyzer was used
2. Face to Face educational programme to the elderly with HbA1c > 5.7%
Lifestyle and behaviour modifications
All elderly with HbA1c > 5.7% were counselled individually on lifestyle modification particularly healthy eating, regular exercise, physical activity, and weight control.
Result & Outcome :
1. A grassroots community- based blood HbA1c survey No. of participant: 100 【36% DM, 64% Non-DM】 Average age: 76.3【78.5(65-88) DM, 75 (65-89) Non-DM】 Female gender: 77% Average BMI: 25.4【23.2 (17.9-41.4) DM, 24.3 (19.2-33) Non-DM】 Average Fasting blood glucose level (mmol/L): 8.9【10.9 (5.7-18.8) DM, 8.5 (5.5-14.1) Non-DM】 Average Fasting HBA1C level (%): 6.4 【7.9 (5.6 – 10.8) DM, 6.4 (4.7 – 8.3) Non-DM】 Overweight (BMI >25.4) is common in the elderly. More than 94% (HBA1C level ˃ 5.7) elderly is a potential undiagnosed pre-DM patient. More than 75% of the DM elderly unsatisfactory control blood glucose levels. (HBA1C level ˃ 8.9%) Conclusion Regular HbA1c surveillance at the grassroots community is suggested to identify undiagnosed DM. An education program is the cornerstone of DM management where patients are empowered with appropriate knowledge and skills to live with the disease. Nurse's voluntary groups can help provide health education in the community. To facilitate health awareness, HKCCVA provides voluntary health promotion activities to service the grassroots community.
