Knowledge of Household Contacts of Diabetic Patients about the Disease

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a complex, chronic illness requiring continuous medical care with multifactorial risk-reduction strategies beyond glycemic control. Ongoing patients and their household care givers self-management education and support are critical to preventing acute complications and reducing the risk of long-term complications Objectives: To assess the knowledge of household contacts about different aspects of diabetes and determine factors affecting it. Subjects and methods: Cross sectional analytic design was conducted in Buraidah city, North central Saudi Arabia among a sample of household contacts of diabetic patients (Type 1 or 2) attending Buraidah diabetic center throughout the period of the study. A valid self-administered questionnaire including question about socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, patient’s diabetic characteristics and knowledge questions regarding diabetes was used for data collection. Results: The study included 422 household contacts of diabetic patients. The age of 44% of the participants was ranging between 20 and 39 years. Females represent 55.2% of them. Almost two-thirds of the participants (64.4%) expressed adequate level of knowledge about diabetes whereas 12.6% had poor level of knowledge. Their main source of information about diabetes was physicians (56.9%), followed by books/social media (23.9%). Household contacts aged between 20 and 39 years, singles, postgraduate educated, working, being sons and parents of patients were more knowledgeable about diabetes compared to their counterparts. Participants whose patients had more duration of diabetes, family support, and no foot fungal infection were more knowledgeable about the disease. With increasing in the level of HbA1c% among diabetic patients, the knowledge of household contacts about the disease decreased, p<0.001. Conclusion: Knowledge of household contacts of diabetic patients in Buraidh city, Saudi Arabia about diabetes was overall adequate with some identified deficient facts. The increase in the level of knowledge was accompanied with more glycemic control.