BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences (Jan 2023)
Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices in patients with Diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care hospital
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over half of the population in India is at risk of having diabetes mellitus (DM) at some time in their lives, making the disease a significant public health concern. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in DM patients in tertiary care hospitals need to be assessed to understand knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) in the study population and also to build a relationship with patient demographics to improve the level of treatment and management of DM. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients with DM in a study population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective randomized controlled study where the participants were randomized into two groups, i.e., the interventional or study group and control group. The study was conducted for 3 years in Vivekanand General Hospital, Hubballi. A total of 300 subjects (n = 300), i.e., interventional (n = 150) and the control group (n = 150) with the age of 18 years and above and were diagnosed with DM were assessed with a self-designed questionnaire to collect data and subjected to statistical tests such as an Independent Student's t-test and Bivariate analysis. RESULTS: The study analysis depicted that the majority of the study participants had a better KAP in all demographic domains. The assessment of literate subjects showed better KAP results. It was also noted that subjects with a disease duration of more than 5 years had better knowledge (72.51%), attitude (75.69%), and practice (64.06%), contrary to the subjects with a disease duration <5 years with poor knowledge (27.48%), attitude (24.3%), and practice (35.95%). The bivariate test results demonstrated that there is a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the domains of age, education, and duration of disease with respect to knowledge, attitude, and practice. CONCLUSION: The analysis revealed that the study participants had inadequate knowledge, lack of attitude, and inadequate practices. Thus, effective health education interventions are necessary to address the disease, its management, associated complications, and lifestyle modifications.
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