Health-related quality of life in early-stage type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study within the SMARTEST trial
Authors' conclusion
HRQoL in this early-stage type 2 diabetes cohort showed a distinct age-related pattern relative to general population benchmarks. Mental HRQoL during periods of societal disruptions merits further study.
Study context
- Population
- People with early-stage, well-controlled type 2 diabetes (< 4 years diabetes duration, no macrovascular complications, at most monotherapy), SMARTEST trial participantsbaseline RAND-36 data
- Participants
- 1,501 people
- Exposure
- Baseline RAND-36 data compared with population-based reference data using multiple linear regression adjusted for sex, age and education
- SMARTEST participantsn = 1,501
- Outcome
- HRQoL by age group
- Follow-up
- Baseline
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) differed markedly by age group
- A significant group × age interaction was identified, and analyses were stratified by age group
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | β (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| General health, participants aged < 55 years · baselineAdjusted for sex, age and education | −7.7 (−10.5 to −5.0) |
| Physical role functioning, participants aged > 65 years · baselineAdjusted for sex, age and education | 9.8 (5.6–13.9) |
- General health, participants aged < 55 years: lower HRQoL in three domains with SMARTEST participants aged < 55 years
- Physical role functioning, participants aged > 65 years: HRQoL exceeded reference population levels across several domains among those aged > 65 years
HRQoL, participants aged 55-65 years · baseline
- No differences were observed for participants aged 55-65 years
Mental composite score, participants included during the pandemic · baseline
- Participants included during the pandemic reported a lower mental composite score (β)
- −2.5 (95% CI −4.5; −0.6)
- Subgroup analysis
Original publication
Health-related quality of life in early-stage type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study within the SMARTEST trial. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. Published 12 November 2026. doi:10.
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