Knowledge, attitudes and practices in Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at Kagando Hospital, Kasese district Western Uganda among out-diabetic patients 18 years and above.

Abstract

Background Diabetes Mellitus is a growing global health concern with majority of new cases being T2DM which occur in context of westernized lifestyles, high-fat diets and decreased exercise. Although pharmacological interventions are available, personal choices and daily decisions that might include nutrition education are required in management of diabetes to improve the quality of life for individuals living with the condition. The use of a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) based survey is considered a good resource model to access the qualitative and quantitative information held by the individual in assessing management of the condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of individuals in Kagando Hospital found in Kasese District regarding the self-management of diabetes mellitus. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted at Kagando Hospital. A simple random sampling technique was done and a total of 107 patients above 18 years of age were selected for the study. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered by the researcher, which included demographic data questions, knowledge, attitude and practice questions and assessing patient diet using 24-hour recall method. SPSS version 27 analyzed data on the demographic characteristics, patient's KAP, glycemic control and dietary information to determine frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations as appropriate. The data got was presented in tables and graphs. Chi square tests were carried out to establish relationships, significance set at a p value of ≤ 0.05. Results Out of 107 patients, 73.8% had a good knowledge, 50.9% had good attitudes while 86.9% had poor practices in self-management of DM. Education status was found to be a significant contributor to knowledge of diabetic patients (with p value=<0.001) while other socio-demographic factors did not affect the knowledge, attitudes and practices of diabetic patients. The poor practices (86.9%) showed a significant association between glycemic control and practices of patients with diabetes mellitus (p value =<0.001).

Conclusion Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that there is a gap between knowledge/attitudes and practices of the diabetic patients at kagando hospital. Though good knowledge was significantly attributed to the higher educational level of the respondents, this did not translate into better practices for managing the disease.