Knowledge, Attitude, and Their Predictors Toward Prevention of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Among Adult Diabetic Patients Attending Diabetic Follow-Up Clinic, in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer is a common complication of diabetes that significantly impacts the quality of life of individuals. Objective: This study aimed to assess patients’ knowledge and attitudes on the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers and identify their predictors among adult diabetic patients at selected hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 374 patients selected by simple random sampling in three selected hospitals from February to June 2024. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression were employed at 95% confidence intervals to identify significant predictors for knowledge and attitude toward the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers. Results: Out of 380 study participants, 374 completed the study, giving a response rate of 97.4%. The mean age of participants was 46.06 (SD,13.5) years. Of the total participants, 226 (60.4%, 95% CI: 55.3%–65.4%) had good knowledge about diabetic foot ulcer prevention. About 294 (78.6%, 95% CI: 74.0%–82.7%) patients had positive attitudes. Residence, age, educational status, marital status, occupational status, and history of diagnosed foot problems are found to be significantly associated with knowledge of diabetic foot ulcer prevention, whereas knowledge level and marital status were significant factors of attitude toward diabetic foot ulcer prevention. Conclusion: Nearly half of the participants had good knowledge, and about three-fourths had a positive attitude toward diabetic foot ulcer prevention. Factors such as older age, higher education, urban residence, being married, and a history of foot problems were significantly associated with good knowledge. Similarly, good knowledge and being married were linked to a positive attitude. Although the attitude level is relatively high, the gap in knowledge highlights the need for targeted educational interventions, especially for individuals with a lower educational level and those residing in rural areas.