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Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding diabetes in the general population: A cross-sectional study from Pakistan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, ISSN: 1660-4601, Vol: 15, Issue: 9
2018
  • 35
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 263
    Captures
  • 1
    Mentions
  • 128
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    35
  • Captures
    263
  • Mentions
    1
    • Blog Mentions
      1
      • Blog
        1
  • Social Media
    128
    • Shares, Likes & Comments
      128
      • Facebook
        128

Article Description

Background: Low knowledge about diabetes risk factors coupled with high disease prevalence is common in low-resource countries. This study evaluated diabetes-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the general population in Punjab (Pakistan). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five districts in Punjab from January to March 2017. Data were collected from 2019 adults aged 18–90 years through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. The total knowledge score ranged from 0–9; a score ≥6 was considered adequate diabetes awareness. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and linear and binary logistic regression were used for the analyses. Results: Respondents’ mean age was 32.92 ± 11.4 years. In total, 85.9% of respondents had heard of diabetes, and 30.1% knew about the glucose tolerance test. We found 2.3% of respondents scored zero for diabetes knowledge, 11.3% scored 9, and 47.4% scored ≥6 (adequate awareness). Being female (β = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16, 0.05; p = 0.001), socioeconomic status (β = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.36; p < 0.001), being diabetic (β = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.53, 1.10; p < 0.001), and higher education (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.33; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with knowledge score. Respondents with high socioeconomic status showed significantly higher positive attitudes compared with those with low socioeconomic status (adjusted odds ratio 1.57, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.24). Only 8.7% (30/343) of those diagnosed with diabetes had never undergone blood glucose screening since diagnosis. Conclusions: Knowledge of diabetes risk factors, management, and care is low in Pakistan’s general population. Targeted public education programs should be instigated at a national level to increase understanding of diabetes prevention and treatment.

Bibliographic Details

Gillani, Ali Hassan; Amirul Islam, Fakir Mohammad; Hayat, Khezar; Atif, Naveel; Yang, Caijun; Chang, Jie; Qu, Zhan; Fang, Yu

MDPI AG

Environmental Science; Medicine

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