Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude of School Teachers Regarding Diabetes Mellitus in the Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Now-a-days, diabetes is an alarming health problem in school going children. Schoolteachers should be familiar about diabetes and its complications; to tackle any tragic situation arises in the schools. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of schoolteachers about diabetes mellitus in the schools of Ha’il region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted during April to June 2020, to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practise of schoolteachers about diabetes complications in students. Total 433 schoolteachers, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were selected from different schools of Ha’il region. Data were collected by using a pretested online questionnaire that includes demographic variables, participants’ knowledge about diabetes, symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycaemia, attitudes, and practises related to diabetes complications. Results: Out of 433 participants, 277 (64%) were female and 156 (36%) male, and almost all (430, 99%) were Saudi resident. Almost half of the participants (198, 45.8%) were in the age group of 35-44 years. The result suggested that most of the participants (247; 57%) have moderate level of knowledge about diabetes; while 31.4% (136) and 11.5% (50) have good and poor level of knowledge, respectively. Conclusions: As per results, the knowledge of schoolteachers about diabetes mellitus and its complications was moderate, which indicates the need of better education and training to the schoolteachers. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education in Ha’il City should take care about educational programs on diabetes mellitus for schoolteachers.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• schoolteachers
• knowledge
• attitudes
• saudi arabia