The awareness and factors influencing the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) among diabetic patients: evidence from NHANES (2011–2018)

Abstract

Abstract Background: The prevention of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) precedes treatment, in that early prevention significantly reduces the incidence of foot ulcers. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the current status of proactive examination for foot ulcers in diabetic patients and to analyze the factors influencing them, in order to provide a scientific reference for the prevention of DFU in diabetic patients. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018 (n=1278) data were utilized in this cross-sectional study. The dependent variable was the presence or absence of patient-initiated inspection of foot ulcers; risk factors that may lead to foot ulcers were included as independent variables. To explore the connection between the patient's subjective motivation to inspect foot ulcers and risk variables, the weighted logistic regression model was further carried out. Results: Among all risk factors, race,body mass index (BMI) and hypertension were statistically significant between whether patients were examined for foot ulcers or not. In the fully adjusted logistic regression model, only hypertensionwas positively correlated with diabetic patient-initiated examination for foot ulcers. Conclusions: This study suggests that there is still room for improvement in the knowledge and behavior of diabetic patients to be proactive in preventing DFU. Health care and community workers should conduct targeted training on diabetic foot prevention to reduce and prevent DFU by reinforcing knowledge to build positive attitudes and drive preventive behavior change.