International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health

Reality vs Illusion: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Diabetic Patients

Introduction: Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality among patients. The data from NHMS III has reported that the present prevalence of DM in Malaysia has exceeded the projected prevalence for the year 2025 as estimated by the International Diabetes Federation.1 Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) is a crucial element of DM control.2 However, very few studies have focused on this area and there is paucity of KAP data among Malaysian diabetic patients. Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards DM and the association between the patients? KAP and control of DM among patients with type II DM (T2DM). Method: Diabetic patients were recruited using the convenient sampling method from an urban diabetes care centre managed by a non-government, non-profit organisation. KAP were assessed using a 25 item structured KAP questionnaire and control of DM was evaluated from the HbA1C and fasting blood glucose levels respectively. Result: Seventy five patients with T2DM participated in this study. There was a strong association between knowledge and attitude as well as knowledge and practice (P<0.05). The mean (? standard deviation (SD) knowledge score was 11.85 ? 2.45; attitude 3.36 ? 1.29 and practice 4.39 ? 1.36, with the maximum possible scores for knowledge, attitude and practice being 14, 5 and 6 respectively. The scores suggested the presence of good KAP among our study participants. However, there was no correlation between the KAP and blood glucose control

Author(s): Shu Hui Ng, 1Kheng Hooi Chan, 1Zi Yang Lian, 1Yee Hooi Chuah, Aishath Noora Waseem, Amudha Kadirvelu

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