Table 1.
Participant demographics (N=88)
| Discussion participants* (N=88) | All PLM members with T2DM** (N=19,550) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex, n (%) | (n=87) | (n=18,278) |
| Female | 44 (50) | 11,185 (61) |
| Age | (n=87) | (n=18,155) |
| Years, mean (SD) | 58.6 (11.2) | 53.7 (11.4) |
| Country, n (%) | (n=81) | (n=13,454) |
| United States | 50 (62) | 7,499 (56) |
| United Kingdom | 15 (19) | 2,346 (17) |
| Australia | 4 (5) | 444 (3) |
| Canada | 4 (5) | 1,256 (9) |
| Others | 8 (9) | 1,909 (14) |
| Race, n (%) | (n=78) | (n=9,610) |
| White | 67 (86) | 7,851 (82) |
| Mixed race | 5 (6) | 335 (3) |
| Asian | 4 (5) | 798 (8) |
| Black | 1 (1) | 462 (5) |
| Native American | 1 (1) | 126 (1) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | N/A | 38 (<1) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | (n=74) | (n=9,136) |
| Not Hispanic | 71 (96) | 7,640 (84) |
| Hispanic | 3 (4) | 1,496 (16) |
| T2DM is the primary condition, n (%) | 54 (61) | 15,587 (80) |
| Commonly reported comorbidities, n (%) | ||
| Hypertension | 28 (31) | 1,719 (9) |
| Major depressive disorder | 18 (20) | 998 (5) |
| Diabetic neuropathy | 13 (14) | 574 (3) |
| High cholesterol | 11 (12) | 664 (3) |
| Osteoarthritis | 11 (12) | 662 (3) |
| Fibromyalgia | 11 (12) | 1,722 (9) |
| Hypothyroidism | 9 (10) | 644 (3) |
| Number of self-reported comorbidities, | (n=15,587) | |
| median (IQR) | 4 (1–8.25) | 1 (0) |
| Event participation, n (%) | N/A | |
| One event | 81 (92) | |
| Two events | 7 (8) |
Notes:
*
Demographics for participants with missing data were not included in the table. All demographic figures are based on optional, self-reported information provided by participants on their PLM member profiles.
**
All PLM population figures are current as of August 1, 2016. Only conditions with $10% prevalence among forum event participants are included. Comorbidity count only includes those with T2DM as a primary condition.
Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; PLM, PatientsLikeMe; N/A, not applicable.