THE 3RD VERSION OF THE DIABETES ATTITUDE SCALE

OBJECTIVE - The objective of this study was to develop a third version of the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3) that is congruent with current scientific knowledge about diabetes, has improved subscale internal r eliability scores, and is shorter than the earlier versions of this in strument. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - The second DAS was revised and rewritten by a panel of diabetes experts, including patients, associa ted with the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Cen ter. The revised version of the instrument was sent to physicians, nur ses, dietitians, and patients with diabetes. Completed and usable ques tionnaires were obtained from 384 patients with diabetes, 321 physicia ns, 540 nurses, and 569 dietitians. The total number of surveys used f or these analyses was 1,814. RESULTS - The study resulted in a revised DAS with 33 items and five discrete subscales. The subscales were att itudes toward the following: 1) need for special training to provide d iabetes care, 2) seriousness of type 2 diabetes, 3) value of tight glu cose control, 4) pyschosocial impact of diabetes, and 5) attitude towa rd patient autonomy. Overall, the subscale reliabilities of the DAS-3 were superior to the earlier versions of the scale. CONCLUSIONS - The DAS-3 is a valid and reliable general measure of diabetes-related atti tudes and is most suitable for comparisons across different groups of health care professionals and/or patients. The DAS-3 is also suitable for the evaluation of patient and/or professional education programs i f those programs focus on the specific topic areas measured by the fiv e DAS-3 subscales.