Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major non communicable disease which needs continuous and improved interventions. Knowledge assessment studies are useful for providing baselines for healthcare policies and educational programs.

Aim of this study

To evaluate diabetes-related knowledge among type 2 diabetes patients.

Methods

A cross sectional study was conducted on adult patients with type 2 diabetes who had been diagnosed since at least 6 months and taking medical treatment. Data were collected from November 2019 to February 2020, through a designed questionnaire. We used SPSS version 20 for data analysis.

Results

In total, 233 type 2 diabetic patients were surveyed, including 142 (60.1%) females. The mean age was 58.8 (SD = 10.8). One hundred seventy-five (75.4%) of cases were living in urban area. Forty-seven patients (20.3%) were non-educated, and 118 patients (50.9%) had primary education level. One hundred fourteen participants had low socioeconomic status. Overall, 78.5% of patients had a family history of diabetes. The mean duration of diabetes was 11.8 (SD = 9.1) years. Of all respondents, 132 (56.9%) were on oral diabetic tablets only, and 33 (14.2%) were on insulin only. The mean BMI was 30.6 ( SD = 6.6).The mean glycated haemoglobin was 8.78 (SD = 1.98). About 57% of patients had confirmed diabetes complications. Of all interviewed, 157 (67.4%) confirmed receiving diabetes information. Overall, 78.1% of patients knew that polyuria and polydipsia are frequent symptoms of hyperglycaemia. Forty patients (17.2%) were knowledgeable about causes of hypoglycaemia. Regarding, diabetes risk factor, 85% of patients were knowledgeable about the genetic factor, while 76.4% and 65.7% of patients were knowledgeable about obesity and sedentary lifestyle, respectively. About 85.4% of patients knew that poor control of diabetes could increase the risk of complications. Regarding the management of diabetes, 93.6% and 91.4% of patients knew the importance of individualized diet plan and regular physical activity, respectively.

Conclusion

This study showed that diabetic patients had limited level of diabetes-related knowledge, which could negatively affect their diabetes control and quality of life. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for improving educational program based on patients’ needs and characteristics.