Socio-Demographic Features and Knowledge of Diabetes Mellitus among Diabetic Patients in Kuwait

Abstract

Objective: To determine the socio-demographic profile and assess knowledge about the nature, symptoms, complications, and treatment of diabetes mellitus among diabetic patients in Kuwait. Methods and Results: A cross-sectional sample survey of 788 patients attending specialized diabetic clinics was conducted in 1995. Kuwaitis were significantly more represented in this sample than in the general population (52.5% versus 37%). Female to male ratio among Kuwait population was 1.07 and among non-Kuwaitis it was 0.28. Age at diagnosis ranged between sixteen to eighty years with a mean of 48 ± 10.8 years. Overall knowledge was assessed by percentage of correct responses for individual knowledge questions. There was no significant difference in knowledge of diabetes seen among Kuwaitis (66%) and non-Kuwaitis (64%). No sex difference in knowledge was seen. Knowledge about diabetes was highest among diabetic patients with increasing educational achievement but lowest with advancing age. Conclusion: Most patients lack a lot of information that could have a significant impact on their motivation and ability to remain healthy. To overcome this growing problem, instructing a standard diabetes education system was found to be one way of improving in morbidity due to diabetes and reduced hospital admission.