Evaluating the effect of knowledge, attitude and practice on self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes

Aims Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common disease imposing a great economic burden to health systems. As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Iran has grown over the past decades, it has become necessary to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of type 2 diabetic patients in our country for policy planning to increase the patients' awareness of diabetes and its complications and, in the long run, decrease costs of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of patients with diabetes and its relationship with self-managing of disease and quality of life. Methods This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the knowledge, attitude, self-reported practice, self-care and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients attending diabetes clinic of Torfeh academic hospital in Tehran, Iran, during April to June 2014. The study population comprised of 120 type 2 diabetic patients aged above 30 years receiving anti-diabetic medications visiting Torfeh's outpatient diabetes clinic for follow-up care. Face-to-face interviews were carried out to fill five questionnaires evaluating patients' knowledge, attitude, practice, self-care and HRQoL. Demographic characteristics were recorded at the beginning of the study. Laboratory data were extracted from patients' most recent medical documents. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21. Results 120 type 2 diabetic patients (86 female and 34 male patients) with mean age of 55.98 +/- 9.50 years were evaluated. The mean score of knowledge, attitude, practice, self-care and HRQoL was 67.99 +/- 10.38, 73.43 +/- 11.84, 64.69 +/- 16.63, 58.22 +/- 12.24 and -1.13 +/- 0.6, respectively. There was a significant negative relationship between HbA1c and patients' practice. We did not find any correlation between patients' knowledge, attitude or practice and their HRQoL. There was a significant direct relationship between patients' knowledge with their attitude and practice. Conclusion This study observed a good level of knowledge, attitude and practice but a low level of self-care and HRQoL among patients. As knowledge and attitude have a direct relationship with practice and the number of people with diabetes continues to rise, we can help patients improve practice and decrease the burden of diabetes complications and their related expenditures by increasing their knowledge.