Abstract

TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES AMONG THE DIABETICS

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed*, Dr. Noorunnisa Begum, Dr. Maleeha Siddiqua, Dr. Nikhat Begum and Dr. Bushra Bint Aslam Bajubair

ABSTRACT

Background: DM is a metabolic disorder with persistently increased blood sugar levels as its feature. The number of people affected is expected to double in the next decade thereby adding to the already existing burden. The principle aim of study is to assess and evaluate the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of the DM patients, determine its influence on QOL and to determine the relation between the KAP scores and HRQoL in Diabetics. Results: 100 Patients were enrolled of which 58% were females and 42% were males and most of the participants were aged 51 years and above and the least response was recorded from the group 20 to 30 years. The results showed that people living in the Community had good understanding as well as good attitude towards DM. The study's mean Practices score was average. The correlation between the Hba1c levels & HrQol scores; and Mean Practices scores & HbA1c levels were obtained as negative correlation,indicating that as HbA1c levels decreased, HrQol scores increased, and that as Mean Practices scores decreased, HbA1c scores increased. Conclusion: The KAP scores were found to be average, indicating that the HRQOL scores were influenced by the HbA1C levels which in turn were affected by the practices of the respondents, which is up to them to manage their illness; merely being aware of the diagnosis is insufficient. Thus, it is essential to conduct the KAP surveys, continued educational activities and awareness campaigns for the diabetics to curb the increasing number of cases.

Keywords: KAP study, Diabetes Mellitus, HrQOL (Health related Quality of Life), SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science), Diabetes Awareness, 3P‘s of Diabetes.