Assessment of food labeling knowledge and associated reading barriers among patients with diabetes.

Background: The most challenging part of diabetes management for a patient with diabetes is selecting a healthy diet. The purpose of this study is to evaluate participants' knowledge of food labels, to find out the relationship between the type of diabetes mellitus (DM) and knowledge score of food labels, and to explore the barriers that prevent patients from reading food labels. Methodology: This observational study was conducted on patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The study was conducted at diabetes clinics at King Khalid University Hospital and King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2019 to February 2020. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: A total of 310 participants were enrolled in this study, of which 50.3% had type 1 DM, and more than half of them were female (51.6%). Patients with type 1 DM had higher mean declarative and applied knowledge scores than those with type 2 DM, regardless of whether they were taking pre meals insulin or not. The highest proportion (39.9%) had difficulty in understanding the content of the nutrition labels, and some of them (37.2%) did not receive any educational session about it. Only 9.5% of the participants did not have any difficulties in reading food labels. Conclusion: Patients with both types of diabetes tended to have poor total knowledge about food labels and faced difficulties in reading them. Provided educational sessions by primary health care and specialized physician and DM educator about food labels are recommended to help them to choose food properly.

Self-awareness of HbA1c and its association with glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes: A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the self-awareness of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) prevalence among type 2 diabetic Saudi patients and its association with glycemic control, thereby identifying those factors that might affect their glycemic control. METHODS: This multicenter study was carried out in outpatients' diabetes clinics in tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Qassim, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data was collected using questionnaires. The subject's self-awareness on the HbA1c test was assessed based on the combined score of 4 questions. The latest HbA1c result before the time of data collection was obtained from medical records. Data was analyzed using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods. RESULTS: The prevalence of HbA1c self-awareness was approximately 44.5%. A total of 4 participants characteristics (glycemic control, education level, monthly income and number of follow-up visits) were associated with awareness of HbA1c. Whereas for better glycemic control; type of treatment, duration of diabetes, and self-awareness of HbA1c were independently statistically significantly associated. CONCLUSION: There is a positive association between HbA1c self-awareness and glycemic control. Glycemic control was good among those who were educated on the meaning of the test, their levels, and their target goal. Awareness among health care providers regarding the role of the patient's education regarding their condition might help in providing the patient with optimal care. Further studies with different experimental designs are needed to study this association, which will contribute to the development of a structured educational program.

The association between diabetes numeracy and diabetes self-management among Saudi adults with insulin-treated diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the association between diabetes numeracy and diabetes self-management among Saudi adults with insulin-treated diabetes. METHODS: From August 2018 to January 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 diabetes centers in Riyadh, Buraydah, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Systematic random sampling was used to include 290 Saudi adults with insulin-treated diabetes. The levels of diabetes numeracy and diabetes self-management were measured by using the Diabetes Numeracy Test tool (DNT-15) and Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire tool (DSMQ). RESULTS: The final analysis included 279 completed surveys. The mean total score of DSMQ was 6.47. The total DSMQ score was higher among patients who had a lower level of education (p=0.02), and patients who had a higher level of diabetes knowledge (p=0.01). The mean total score of DNT-15 was 41.3%. Patients who had lower diabetes numeracy scores tended to be younger, married, have fewer years of education, have a lower monthly income(p<0.001), use insulin only, and have type 1 diabetes. Patients who achieved a total score of 82%, and higher in DNT-15 have also achieved the highest score in DSMQ (p=0.17). A linear regression analysis adjusted for level of education, diabetes knowledge, and other variables found a modest association between low diabetes numeracy and low diabetes self-management (p=0.08). CONCLUSION: Lower level of diabetes numeracy was associated with lower level of diabetes self-management.

Knowledge, awareness and perceptions of diabetes mellitus among the Saudi population.

Background: High prevalence of undiagnosed cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) has increased over the last two decades, most patients with DM only become aware of their condition once they develop a complication. Limited data are available regarding the knowledge and awareness about DM and the associated risk factors, complications and management in Saudi society. Aim: This study aimed to assess knowledge of DM in general Saudi society and among Saudi healthcare workers. Results: Only 37.3% of the participants were aware of the current DM prevalence. Obesity was the most frequently identified risk factor for DM. Most comparisons indicated better awareness among health workers. Conclusion: A significant lack of knowledge about DM in Saudi society was identified. Social media and educational curriculum can improve knowledge and awareness of DM.