Influence of education and occupation on knowledge about diabetes control

Background. A global epidemic of diabetes has been predicted during the fir st quarter of the twenty-first century, with a substantial increase in its prevalence in India. Good management of diabetes is a necessary step toward s its control and blood glucose testing forms an integral part of this. Thi s study was undertaken to assess the importance of education and occupation in relation to knowledge about good control of diabetes. Methods. Perception patterns regarding methods for testing blood glucose an d metabolic control were assessed by the direct interview method in 793 pat ients with type 2 diabetes. Patients' knowledge levels were compared for di fferent educational and occupational categories using the Normal test (z-te st) and the Student's t-test. Results. The difference between the mean ages of men and women diabetics wa s not significant (p > 0.1). It was found that 46.7% of the subjects were a ware of the importance of blood glucose testing. Awareness regarding the im portance of microalbuminuria, lipid profile and glycosylated haemoglobin wa s observed in 24.1%, 15.5% and 7.6% of patients, respectively. A positive i mpact of education on overall knowledge levels was observed, However, no de finite relationship was found between knowledge and occupation. Conclusion. There was a total lack of knowledge regarding self-care of diab etes in all educational and occupational categories (including patients who were qualified doctors). This calls for an urgent need to create greater p ublic awareness. This study may serve as a guideline for developing an educ ational package for different subsections of the community.