Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Eating and Drinking among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus II at Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos / Lao Medical Journal

ABSTRACT

Background and rationale@#Diabetes mellitus (DM) remains an important health problem worldwide, including in Laos. Most deaths among DM type-2 patients result from complications due to poor control of glycemia. Eating and drinking behaviors are vital factors for glycemia control in DM patients and study of their knowledge, attitude and practice for eating-drinking behavior may help us to understand the problem and plan engagement and how to promote appropriate changes in patients’ behavior.@*Methodology@#A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to explore knowledge, attitude and practice on eating-drinking of DM type-2 patients who visited the Outpatient Department of Mahosot Hospital from February to March 2012. A questionnaire was designed and pre-tested before interviewing patients following their consent. Patients were selected into the study using systematic random sampling.@*Results@#Two hundred DM type-2 patients (60% females) were interviewed. The overall mean (SD) age of the patients was 58 (9.2) years; 35.5% of them had at least a family member with DM. The mean (SD) duration the patients knew that they had DM was 6.1 years (SD = ±5.8). On the day of interview, 42% and 32.5% of the patients had blood glucose levels that were high (130-180 mg/dL) and very high (>180 mg/dL), respectively. Twenty-two percent of the respondents had a good level of DM diet knowledge while 59% of them had a moderate level and the remainder (19%) had a low level. Most of interviewees (98.5%) had correct knowledge on food restriction (rice, flour, sugar, and lipid) and 93.5% knew that food control, exercise, and taking antidiabetics regularly are the best ways to control blood sugar. Less than 50% of the respondents knew that DM patients have to restrict the quantity of rice to eat and that patients with complications must control their diets strictly. Although 68.5% and 31.5% of the patients had a good and moderate level, respectively, of attitude on DM nutrition, some of them still had beliefs that are not medically recommended. For example, 15.5% of patients thought that they could stop their medication by themselves, 28% said that DM patients can live normally regardless of blood sugar control, and 49.5% believed that DM was a bad karma. Approximately 1/4 of the interviewees reported that they mostly did not eat on time, 30.5% did not restrict their food, 41% just ate what they needed and 41.5% said that they ate any fruits that they liked.@*Conclusion@#Although most of DM patients had correct knowledge on DM diets, some of them had attitudes and practice on food consumption, including poor blood sugar control, that are at odds with current medical advice. Engagement methods are needed to inform patients of optimal dietary practice in order to prevent DM complications.