Knowledge and awareness about diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy in suburban population of a South Indian state and its practice among the patients with diabetes mellitus: A population‑based study.
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Date
2016-04
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Abstract
Context: Ocular complications due to diabetes mellitus (DM) were on the rise despite good literacy levels
in South India. Aims: To assess the knowledge and attitude toward DM and diabetic retinopathy of the
general population in a suburban town of South India. Settings and Design: Door‑to‑door population
survey in suburban town of South India in May 2013. Materials and Methods: A 30‑point questionnaire was
prepared and the data were collected and analyzed to determine statistically the knowledge, attitude, and
practice (KAP) scores of the general and diabetic population and also to determine significant demographic
associations. Results: In this study, 6211 people (3528 [56.8%] women and 2683 [43.2%] men) with a mean
age of 55.6 ± 11.7 years (range 21–98 years) were included. Good knowledge and positive attitude were
observed in 3457 (55.6%) and 3280 (52.8%) people. Among 1538 (25.4%) people known to have DM, only
619 (40.7%) had good knowledge, 828 (53.8%) had a positive attitude, and 886 (57.6%) had good practice
patterns. Although half of them followed general diabetic care, only 9.6% had undergone screening for
retinopathy. Literacy showed a significant association with good KAP (P < 0.001 each) in general population
and those with DM. Overall, women had significantly better knowledge (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Better
literacy, especially among women, is contributory to better public awareness; however, the trend for poor
practice patterns needs to be radically changed with aggressive public motivation emphasizing on the
necessity of retinopathy screening and periodic follow‑ups.
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Keywords
Awareness, diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, knowledge, practice
Citation
Hussain Rameez, Rajesh Bindu, Giridhar Anantharaman, Gopalakrishnan Mahesh, Sadasivan Sanjai, James Justin, Vijayan Pradeep Padickal, John Nelson. Knowledge and awareness about diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy in suburban population of a South Indian state and its practice among the patients with diabetes mellitus: A population‑based study. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2016 Apr; 64(4): 272-276.