Title : Knowledge, attitudes and practices among patients with diabetes attending the general practice outpatient department at BP eye foundation, CHEERS hospital
Abstract:
Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic non-communicable disease that poses a significant global public health challenge. Over the past two decades, the burden of diabetes has increased substantially worldwide. This burden is largely attributed to changes in lifestyle and environmental factors. Limited awareness and inadequate preventive practices contribute to disease progression to complications increasing the economic burden. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of diabetes among adults globally is approximately 8.8%. Nepal faces a growing burden of diabetes with a reported prevalence of 8.5%leading to significant public health challenges. Improving knowledge and fostering positive attitudes toward healthy lifestyles and modification of risk factors may reduce diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Assessing patients' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding diabetes can help in the development of effective prevention and management programs.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with diabetes attending the General Practice Outpatient Department of BP Eye Foundation, CHEERS Hospital. Sample size was calculated based on the prevalence rate with an adjustment for a 10% non-response rate. Data was collected using a validated and field-tested questionnaire incorporating knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) domains related to diabetes mellitus. Appropriate scores were assigned to responses in each domain.
Results: A total of 140 patients were included in the study and 27.9% of them had family history of diabetes. The level of knowledge was categorized according to Bloom’s cut-off points – low, moderate and high. About half (45.7%) of them had low level of knowledge. Attitudes were recorded in Likert scale up to 5 and participants reported a moderate positive attitude with mean 3.35 and median 3.65. Regarding practice, adherence to medication was the highest (84.3%) performing behavior and in contrast, critical deficits in self-care practices like 92.9% did not practice regular foot inspection. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationships among the three KAP domains: knowledge, attitude, and practice. The findings demonstrated statistically significant positive correlations among all three domains (p < 0.001), indicating that higher knowledge levels were associated with more favorable attitudes and better diabetes-related practices.
Conclusions: Patients with diabetes attending the General Practice Outpatient Department had inadequate knowledge and important deficiencies in self-care practices, although attitudes toward diabetes management were generally positive. The observed positive relationships among knowledge, attitude, and practice underscore the importance of educational interventions in improving diabetes self-management. Structured patient education programs focusing on diabetes awareness, foot care, and life-style modification practices on diet and exercise help to enhance disease outcomes and reduce complications.
Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Knowledge; Attitude; Practice; KAP Study.
