DIABETES KNOWLEDGE, SELF CARE PRACTICES AND GLYCEMIC CONTROL AMONG DIABETES PATIENTS IN KITUI COUNTY REFFERAL HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a serious disease that causes devastating personal suffering and financial burden worldwide. Nevertheless, minimal burden occurs through proper diabetes knowledge and self-care practices by effective treatment and management of diabetes. Despite this, in Kitui County, there has been no documented studies conducted on diabetes knowledge and self-care practices. It is in this reason the researcher sought to assess diabetes knowledge, self-care practices and glycemic control. In addition, ascertain association of diabetes knowledge and self-care practices to glycemic control. The findings could be employed in developing patient tailored interventions to enable patients achieve desirable diabetes outcome. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample size was 154 type 2 diabetes patients in Kitui Hospital selected through systematic random sampling. Diabetes knowledge and self-care activities of the respondents’ assessed by Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire and Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities respectively. Respondents’ blood sample drawn to analyze glycated hemoglobin levels for glycemic control. The R software analyzed the data. Logistics regression evaluated the factors associated with diabetes knowledge and diabetes knowledge and self-care practices to glycemic control. Results: 152 study participants, 63.2% were females. Majority (43.4%) were aged between 50-59 years, 40.4% had primary education with only 11.8% having tertiary level. Majority 79.6% were on oral glucose lowering agents. Respondents with good diabetes knowledge were 46.1%, 44.7 % had good self-care practices and 29.61% had good glycemic control. Respondents with tertiary level of education were almost 5 times more likely to have good diabetic knowledge compared to those with no formal education (AOR: 4.94, 95% CI: 1.43, 18.71, p = < 0.01). Patients who had the disease for a duration 0 -2 years had reduced odds of about 85% of having good diabetes knowledge unlike those having the disease for a duration exceeding 10 years. (AOR: 0.154, 95% CI: 0.038, 0.537, p = < 0.01). Patients on oral glucose lowering agents had 20% odds of having good knowledge compared to those on insulin treatment. (AOR: 0.204, 95% CI: 0.059, 0.601, p = < 0.01). Compared to patients with good knowledge, patients having poor diabetes knowledge had reduced odds up to 60% of having good glycemic control. (AOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.184, 0.834, p = 0.015). Respondents with good self-care practices were 2.7 times more likely to have good glycemic control unlike patients with poor self-care practices (AOR: 2.701, 95% CI: 1.286, 5.837, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Considerable limited diabetes knowledge and self-care practices and poor glycemic control identified. However, in the findings diabetes knowledge and self-care practices demonstrated a significant association to glycemic control status. These findings pinpoints the need to strengthen patient education on diabetes to improve diabetes knowledge and self-care practices to optimize glycemic control.