Influence of education and occupation on knowledge about diabetes control

A global epidemic of diabetes has been predicted during the first quarter of the twenty-first century, with a substantial increase in its prevalence in India. Good management of diabetes is a necessary step towards its control and blood glucose testing forms an integral part of this. This study was undertaken to assess the importance of education and occupation in relation to knowledge about good control of diabetes.

Perception patterns regarding methods for testing blood glucose and metabolic control were assessed by the direct interview method in 793 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients' knowledge levels were compared for different educational and occupational categories using the Normal test (z-test) and the Student's t-test.

The difference between the mean ages of men and women diabetics was not significant (p > 0.1). It was found that 46.7% of the subjects were aware of the importance of blood glucose testing. Awareness regarding the importance of microalbuminuria, lipid profile and glycosylated haemoglobin was observed in 24.1%, 15.5% and 7.6% of patients, respectively. A positive impact of education on overall knowledge levels was observed. However, no definite relationship was found between knowledge and occupation.

There was a total lack of knowledge regarding self-care of diabetes in all educational and occupational categories (including patients who were qualified doctors). This calls for an urgent need to create greater public awareness. This study may serve as a guideline for developing an educational package for different subsections of the community.