Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Diabetes Mellitus among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nortwest Rajasthan

Introduction: As per the International Diabetes Federation statistics, around 463 million people are presently living with diabetes worldwide, and this is anticipated to be 578.4 million by 2030. Awareness regarding diabetes is a major determinant for early detection and prevention of diabetes. Information regarding Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) among diabetics from northwest Rajasthan ( India) is not readily available. Aim: This study was designed to assess KAP regarding diabetes among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of one and half years from July 2018 to December 201(in a tertiary care center in northwest Rajasthan (India) among 960 patients with T2DM. KAP was assessed by a structured questionnaire derived from a validated set of questionnaires and was categorised as poor, average, and good. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to assess the association between diabetes-related KAP and socio-demographic variables. Results The mean age of the subjects was 55.45 +/- 11.64 years. The proportion of good, average, and poor knowledge scores among subjects were 10.83%, 65.84% and 23.33%, respectively. The corresponding values for attitude scores were 9.16%, 74.17% and 16.67%, respectively. Subjects from young age group, urban habitats, higher educational background, upper socio-economic class, longer duration of diabetes, with a family history of diabetes, those who attended diabetes education program and with higher BMI demonstrated significantly greater KAP score (r=0.73, p=0.001). Better knowledge was associated with a better attitude and practice (r=0.81, p=0.001) and better attitude was associated with better practice ( r=0.77, p=0.001). Conclusion: The overall level of KAP regarding diabetes was average. To prevent diabetes and its complications there is an urgent need to carry out extensive awareness programs with a prioritised focus on poorer, rural and less educated groups.