European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF SELF-CARE AMONG DIABETIC PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY HEALTH FACILITY IN RIVERS STATE

Omowhara Believe* and Ibidabo Alabere

ABSTRACT

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the most challenging public health problems in the 21st century. In 2014, it was the cause of 4.9 million deaths and was accountable for 11 % of the total global health expenses. By 2030, diabetes is projected to be the 7th leading cause of death. However diabetes complications and subsequent death could be prevented or at least practically reduced if a culture of knowledge, attitude and practice of self-care is inculcated in DM patients. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of self-care among diabetic patients in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Convenience sampling method was used to recruit 359 diabetic patients from the endocrinology clinic in UPTH between October and December 2017. A semi-structured interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from the selected diabetic patients. Results: A total of 359 patients were studied, with a mean age of 55.42 ± 11.90 years. The proportion of good, fair and poor knowledge of diabetes self-care among the 359 respondents were 43.7%, 35.1% and 21.2% respectively. Majority of the study participants had good attitude (78.8%) and practice (59.3%) while 21.2% had poor attitude and practice (40.6%) towards diabetes self-care. Conclusion: The overall knowledge was unsatisfactory while attitude and practice of self-care among diabetic patients in UPTH was good. To prevent complications of diabetes, there is an urgent need for coordinated educational campaigns to intensify training on self-management skills.

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Self-care, Diabetes mellitus.