Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Diabetes Mellitus among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nortwest Rajasthan

摘要

As per the International Diabetes Federation statistics, around 463 million people are presently living with diabetes worldwide, and this is anticipated to be 578.4 million by 2030. Awareness regarding diabetes is a major determinant for early detection and prevention of diabetes. Information regarding Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) among diabetics from northwest Rajasthan (India) is not readily available.Aim: This study was designed to assess KAP regarding diabetes among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).Materials and Methods: This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of one and half years from July 2018 to December 2019 in a tertiary care center in northwest Rajasthan (India) among 960 patients with T2DM. KAP was assessed by a structured questionnaire derived from a validated set of questionnaires and was categorised as poor, average, and good. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to assess the association between diabetes-related KAP and socio-demographic variables.Results: The mean age of the subjects was 55.45±11.64 years. The proportion of good, average, and poor knowledge scores among subjects were 10.83%, 65.84% and 23.33%, respectively. The corresponding values for attitude scores were 9.16%, 74.17% and 16.67%, respectively. Subjects from young age group, urban habitats, higher educational background, upper socio-economic class, longer duration of diabetes, with a family history of diabetes, those who attended diabetes education program and with higher BMI demonstrated significantly greater KAP score (r=0.73, p=0.001). Better knowledge was associated with a better attitude and practice (r=0.81, p=0.001) and better attitude was associated with better practice (r=0.77, p=0.001).Conclusion: The overall level of KAP regarding diabetes was average. To prevent diabetes and its complications there is an urgent need to carry out extensive awareness programs with a prioritised focus on poorer, rural and less educated groups.