P-247: Beliefs of medication questionnaire (bmq) - a instrument to identify adolescents with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at risk of omitting medication
N Chang, L Chao, F RebustiniAbstract
Introduction
Diabetes self-management includes consistent medication administration. Medication intake can be influenced by the patient and/or family’s beliefs. The Beliefs of Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) is a validated tool among adults with T2D to assist in identifying patient’s beliefs about medications, and high BMQ scores correlates with high medication adherence.
Objectives
The objective of this study is to evaluate if BMQ scores for adolescents with T2D correlates with HbA1c
Methods
BMQ was administered to 262 adolescents with T2D and their parents in a large dedicated T2D clinic between 2017 to 2026. BMQ score was included only when participants completed at least 4 of the 5 items for the Necessity and Concerns domains, and at least 7 of the 8 items for the General Beliefs domain. The association between HbA1c and BMQ item, domains, and total score was estimated using Spearman correlation, with pairwise exclusion of missing values
Results
The mean age was 13.21 + 2.47 years with a diagnosis duration of 1.79 + 2.24 years. The study cohort was 38% male, 87.6% Hispanic, 0.9% non-Hispanic Black, 2% Asian. Females had higher median HbA1c levels (median female 7.80% [IQR 4.40%], male 6.70% [IQR 2.90%]). HbA1c was negatively associated with the total score (r= −0.268, p = 0.000011, and p-FDR = 0.000146), beliefs on medication necessity (r=−0.238; p = 0.000100; p-FDR = 0.000550), and concerns about medications (r=−0.260; p = 0.000020; p-FDR = 0.000146), although effect sizes were small. Age and diagnosis duration were more strongly related to HbA1c than to instrument scores
Conclusions
Our study showed that the BMQ may be a useful instrument to screen for patients at risk for medication omission. Identifying at risk patients early may facilitate early conversations with patient and families regarding their medication beliefs, to mitigate persistent hyperglycemia and diabetes-related complications