To Assess and Compare the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Patients with Diabetes in Control and Intervention Groups

Abstract

Diabetes is a combination of heterogeneous disorders presenting with episodes of hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance, as a result of lack of insulin, defective insulin action, or both. There are more than 387 million people with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and the number is likely to reach 592 million by 2035. The prevalence of DM is 9.1% in India. With increasing incidence of diabetes worldwide, evaluation of diabetes knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) has become crucial for guiding behavioral changes for persons with diabetes and individuals at risk. KAP-related studies are important in tailoring a health programme to help curb the threats caused by the disease. Adequate information helps the public understand the risks of diabetes and its complications, seeks treatment of existing disease, takes preventive measures and develops proactive attitude towards health. This was an interventional study where patients of either gender with +1-year history of DM were enrolled into the study after obtaining the consent. A total of 200 patients were included in this study. The p-value (<0.0001) showed that there was significant improvement in the KAP score of intervention group patients from baseline to follow up compared to that of control group. This study shows that improvement in knowledge of the disease has positive impact on Attitude and Practice of the subjects, thus improving their glycemic control.