Diabetes risk questionnaires compared
This comparison describes how the methods differ; it does not declare one universally better — the choice depends on the patient and clinical context.
| Diabetes risk (ADA) | FINDRISC | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | ADA Diabetes Risk Test (Bang et al., 2009) | Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (Lindström & Tuomilehto, 2003) |
| Inputs | Age، Sex، Have you ever been diagnosed with gestational diabetes?، Do you have a mother, father, sister or brother with diabetes?، Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?، Are you physically active?، Height، Weight | Age، Sex، Height، Weight، Waist circumference (below the ribs, usually at the navel)، At least 30 minutes of physical activity every day (work or leisure)?، Do you eat vegetables, fruit or berries every day?، Have you ever taken medicine for high blood pressure regularly?، Have you ever been found to have high blood glucose (check-up, illness, pregnancy)?، Family members diagnosed with diabetes |
| Population | Adults aged 18 and over who do not have diagnosed diabetes. | Adults without diagnosed diabetes. |
| Key limitations | A screening questionnaire, not a test for diabetes. Only a blood test (HbA1c, fasting glucose or glucose tolerance test) can diagnose diabetes. Validated in US adults; ADA uses a lower BMI threshold (23 kg/m²) for screening people of Asian ancestry. | A screening questionnaire, not a test for diabetes. Only a blood test (HbA1c, fasting glucose or glucose tolerance test) can diagnose diabetes. At a score of 9 or more the positive predictive value was low in the 2003 study (0.13 and 0.05), so most people above that cut-off did not develop drug-treated diabetes during follow-up. |
| Reference | Bang H, Edwards AM, Bomback AS, et al. Development and validation of a patient self-assessment score for diabetes risk (2009) | Lindström J, Tuomilehto J. The diabetes risk score: a practical tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk (2003) |
| Version | 2.0.1 | 1.0.1 |