Diabetes: estimates of number of cases by NHS board
The Scottish Diabetes Survey provides the best single estimate of prevalence of diabetes for NHS Boards. However, there is interest in comparing different sources of prevalence estimates. If such comparisons are made it is important to note the differences between the sources and the definitions used. Chart 1 shows prevalence of diabetes by health board based on registers included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2015/16 published by ISD (currently Public Health Scotland). Because cases on QOF registers are restricted to those over 17 years of age while the denominator is the combined list size, these are underestimates of the prevalence. The QOF figures also exclude gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy). Figures from the 2016 Scottish Diabetes Survey are shown for comparison. Note that all figures are crude (rather than age-standardised), so will not take account of differences in population age and sex structure between boards.
- The QOF diabetes mellitus disease registers, on which prevalence figures are based, are for patients aged 17 and over.
- The QOF for Shetland was based on only one nGMS practice and is therefore less reliable as an estimate of prevalence.
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
