Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards glycemic control among persons with diabetes mellitus at two tertiary hospitals in Uganda

Abstract

Background: Intensive glycaemic control reduces the risk of microvascular complications in persons with diabetes mellitus(DM). Owing to limited data available, we aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) toward glycaemiccontrol among Ugandans with DM at two large tertiary healthcare facilities. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among persons with DM attending outpatient clinics at Kiruddu NationalReferral Hospital (KNRH) and Mulago National Specialized Hospital (MNSH) between March and April 2022. Eligible participantsprovided written informed consent and were recruited through a systematic sampling technique and relevant data wascollected using a pretested, interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 452 participants, 318 (70.4%) were females. The median age was 52 years (IQR: 45-60 years), with more thantwo-thirds diagnosed with DM at ≥36 years (69.8%, n=310). Overall, 274 participants (60.6%) had good knowledge on glycemiccontrol. At multivariable logistic regression analysis, good knowledge about glycaemic control was significantly associated withhaving received training on glycaemic control (aOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4 – 3.7, p=0.002), level of education: diploma (aOR: 4.3, 95%CI: 1.1 – 17.8, p=0.042), degree aOR: 4.9, 95% CI: 1.0 – 23.1, p=0.046) compared to informal education, and nearest distancefrom the health facility (aOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.0 – 9.6, p=0.047) Conclusions: More than half of the patients had good knowledge about glycaemic control and this was associated with levelof education, distance from the health facility and having received training. Further studies assessing the correlations betweenactual level of glycaemic control and patient related KAPs are recommended. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; glycemic control; HbA1C; KAPs.