The knowledge and practice of diabetic patients with complications and their impact on the practive of healthy lifestyle behaviours

ABSTRACT

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the leading causes of chronic ill health, disability and death in the Caribbean. It is the cause of many serious complications and it is important that each diabetic obtain adequate knowledge about the condition and its complictions in a manner which will allow them to minimize or even prevent the complications. Furthermore, this knowledge has the potential to induce the adoption of healthy lifestyles, thereby improving the quality of life of the individual. This cross-sectional study, which was conducted from February 10 to March 30, 1997, collected data on the knowledge and practice of diabetic patients with complications and enabled and assessment of the possible relationship between their knowledge and practice of healthy lifestyles. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire which was used as an interview schedule and self-administered to a sample of 100. Respondents were members of the Diabetic and Medical Clinic of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), or inpatients of the medical or surgical wards. They were included in the sample on the basis of a case definition for patients with complications of diabetes. The data revealed that the most common complications among diabetics in the sample was eye diseases, 59 percent, followed by hypertension, 49 percent, and neuropathies, 41 percent. Knowledge of complications was high among respondents with a mean score of 45.9 (Standard Deviation 12.93), the median 48.5 and the range between 13-67. Practice scores showed that 78 percent of respondents have satisfactory/good scores. The mean was 22.3 (Standard Deviation 7.09), median 24.0 and the range 5-38. When knowledge and practice scores were assessed, it was found that among the 48 persons with good knowledge, 42 had good/satisfactory practice and among the 42 persons with satisfactory knowledge, 30 had good/satisfactory practice. Four persons were identified as having unsatisfactory knowledge and unsatisfactory practice. x2 between good/satisfactory knowledge and good/satisfactory practice showed no significant relationship (p > 0.05).(Au)