Diabetic eye disease, which includes diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema is a microvascular complication of both types 1 and 2 of diabetes mellitus. As diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss in middle-aged and elderly people globally, annual screening of the diabetic population for signs of the disease is of major importance. This study will utilize data collected by the Irish longitudinal study of aging (TILDA) wave 4 to identify the factors that are associated with non-attendance by older Irish adults who are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus of their diabetic retinopathy screening appointments.
This study aims to identify the factors that are associated with non-attendance by older Irish adults who are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus of their diabetic retinopathy screening appointments.
This study design is a Secondary analysis of data collected by TILDA.
The study population will be any person aged >/=50 years living at a residential address in the Republic of Ireland, who was included in the fourth wave of TILDA. These participants were surveyed in 2016.
Data collected during the fourth wave of TILDA will be utilised in this secondary data analysis. Factors that have been found to be associated with non-attendance of diabetic retinopathy screening in past studies were identified through a literature review. Statistical analysis will be carried out using SPSS. Participants who self-reported being diagnosed with diabetes will be identified. Descriptive statistical analysis will be carried out to characterise the sample with diagnosed diabetes and compared against the entire cohort. The screening attendance rate will be identified. Statistical analysis will be conducted to examine the association between risk factors and retinopathy screening attendance. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% CI will be generated to measure association.
