##submission.abstract##
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major health issues in India. Prevalence
of type 2 or noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus is high in India. Kerala, a
southern state in India has varying prevalence rate of diabetes in its different
geographical regions. Adequate knowledge, practice and attitude are the three
vital parameters of a diabetic patient. Studies are there in literature to evaluate
the knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetes patients in different settings
but very few studies have investigated the situation in Kerala. Hence the aim of
this study was to assess the current knowledge, attitude and practice to start an
educational programme.
Methods
A descriptive study was conducted in the out patient department of a tertiary
care hospital in South Kerala during the period April 2019 to September 2019.
A sample of 220 patients were studied using a pretested questionnaire.
Convenience sampling technique was adopted. Study participants were type-2
diabetic patients above 18 years and diagnosed for at least six months. Student t
test/one way ANOVA was used to identify the socio-demographic variables
associated with knowledge, attitude and practice.
Result
The mean(SD) knowledge, attitude and practice scores are 58.16(18.96),
77.83(8.77) and 59.75(14.58) respectively. Knowledge and attitude are found
to be associated with educational and occupational status (p<0.05). Family
history is associated with attitude (p=0.001). There is statistically significant
difference between the practice scores of males and females (p=0.023). Mode
of treatment is associated with knowledge (p=0.02)
Keywords: Type 2 diabetic patients, knowledge, attitude, practice.