Knowledge and practices related to diabetes mellitus among adults with diabetes in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) among Nigerians and the world is on the increase because of lifestyles, diet, population ageing, unhealthy and obesity. Knowledge about DM and appropriate practices related to DM are vital in its proper management. This work is carried out to assess the knowledge and practices related to DM among adults with diabetes in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise   aged 40 years and older with DM. The research was carried out in four government health care facilities in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise. This was a health facility-based cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: Structured interviews were used to obtain information which included socio-demographic profiles as well as knowledge about diabetes mellitus (DM). The total number of the participants was 200 which comprises 150 (75.0%) women and 50 (25.0%)  Men aged 40–90 years (mean and standard deviation of 61.5 ± 10.49 years). Many (67.5%) were not aware of the types of DM and only 32.4% knew the type of DM they had. Many knew about the importance of special diet (65.5%) and physical activity (42.5%) in DM management; however, only 38.0% knew about the importance of losing weight. Many (79.0%) followed a special diet as advised, only 38.0% always tried to lose weight, and 48.3% engaged in physical activity. Conclusion:  The knowledge and practices related to DM among the participants were fair hence, suggesting the need for programmes on diabetes mellitus (DM) awareness in this population.