Knowledge, attitude & practices of type II diabetes mellitus patients in a tertiary care teaching institute of central India

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease. It has been associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits, including inappropriate nutrition, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine overuse, and improper sleeping habits,1 India is home to 69.1 million people with DM and is estimated to have the second highest number of cases of DM in the world after China in 2015.2 The prevalence of DM in India ranges from 5–17%, with higher levels found in urban areas.3‒9 DM is a chronic disease which threatens to overcome the healthcare system in the near future. During the past three decades, there have been remarkable changes in lifestyle of people mainly leading to decreased physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. These changes have had a considerable negative impact on the health of the society. Indeed, this lifestyle transformation is thought to be responsible for the epidemic of non communicable diseases and their complications. Lifestyle modifications like cessation of smoking and alcohol, regular exercise, dietary practices benefits in controlling blood sugar in diabetic patients It is essential to promote lifestyle modifications along with cost-effective use of health services for the control of chronic diseases like DM. Studies have shown that many patients did not have the appropriate knowledge of DM, increasing their knowledge and awareness about such diseases will help in reducing the morbidity and mortality of such diseases.10 Effective management of disease is associated with knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of diabetic patients regarding their life style practices. If patients are given proper education and guidance towards diabetes it will make a significant improvement in life style which will be helpful for good glycemic control. Education to diabetic patients would be more effective if we know the baseline KAP of the disease. KAP studies in diabetics could be helpful for minimizing the consequences of the disease.