OBJECTIVES : This study aimed to understand the perspectives of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on safely reaching near normoglycemia which was defined as an HbA1c value of <6%.

METHODS : This cross-sectional online quantitative survey of people with T2D asked about current impacts of T2D, anticipated benefits of safely achieving near normoglycemia among participants with a current HbA1c ≥6%, or the actual benefits of safely achieving near normoglycemia among participants who had an HbA1c <6%. Participants also reported on the specific areas of psychological/emotional impact of T2D and on the psychological/emotional benefits of achieving near normoglycemia.

RESULTS : The participants (N=1000; US=500 and UK=500) were 71.3% male, mean age 65.1 years (SD=12.4). The majority of the sample reported a current HbA1c of ≥6% (82.1%) and had been diagnosed more than 10 years ago (52.9%). The most commonly reported current impacts of T2D were ‘daily activities’ (63.1%), ‘monitoring of glucose levels’ (46.4%), ‘weight changes or control’ (42.6%), and ‘financial’ (33.7%). Among those who reported psychological or emotional impacts (11.3%), ‘worry about future diabetes-related complications’ was the most common specific impact reported (75.2%). Achieving near normoglycemia was ‘somewhat’ or ‘extremely’ important to 94.4% of the participants. Among those with HbA1c <6% ‘daily activities’ (n=65, 36.3%) and ‘weight changes or control’ (n=52, 29.1%) were the most common benefits experienced and ‘feeling in control over life’ (n=28, 71.8%) was the most common specific psychological/emotional benefit experienced. Among those with HbA1c ≥6% ‘daily activities’ (n=408, 49.7%), ‘medical complications/health’ (n=358, 43.6%), and ‘weight changes or control’ (n=333, 40.6%) were the most common benefits anticipated.

CONCLUSIONS : Safely achieving near normoglycemia is important to the vast majority of people with T2D. The anticipated benefits of achieving an HbA1c <6% aligns well with the actual experiences of those who have achieved this goal.