Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a serious condition where the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it properly. This affects millions worldwide and can lead to serious problems like amputations or heart disease if not managed well. Patients need to know how to manage their condition daily to avoid these problems. Researchers in Portugal studied how many T2D patients, both those taking insulin and those not, understand how to manage their disease. Their findings are published in Frontiers in Public Health.
Professor Pedro Lopes Ferreira, director of the University of Coimbra’s Center for Health Studies and Research, emphasized that their primary aim was to minimize the gap in diabetic patients’ knowledge about their condition. Through their study, they highlighted the importance of enhancing the disease understanding of type 2 diabetic patients.
The researchers measured diabetes knowledge using a specialized test designed for individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This test covered topics such as nutrition, signs and symptoms, and medication management. The study included 1200 participants with diabetes. Of these, nearly 40% were using insulin therapy. The remaining participants managed their diabetes through various methods, including specialized diets, oral medications (not insulin), or diet alone.
71.3% of the respondents were able to correctly answer questions related to food while 4 out of 5 respondents had proper understanding about the positive role that exercise plays in life. Similarly, over three quarters of those interviewed also knew the best way of testing sugar levels in blood.
Nevertheless, knowledge was found to be lacking in various other areas by the researchers. For instance, when asked which food items one should avoid if anyone has a low blood sugar level, only 12.8 % of participants answered properly. The question with the least percentage (4.4%) of right answers was on symptoms of ketoacidosis that is a fatal late stage T2D complication. Thus Ferreira Lopes said “this difference in knowledge could stem from many factors including how health practitioners conduct themselves and what they inform their clients.”
Among others things that impact T2D knowledge medication usage is one element noted by researchers. This included having correct answers given back by 51.8% for non-insulin users as well as 58.7% for insulin users respectively. Under the consideration of demographic and socioeconomic factors, disease knowledge was positively influenced by age under 65 years, higher education attainment, not living alone and adherence to a special diet.
According to the researchers, their findings underscore the importance of enhancing T2D understanding regarding specific components of the ailment like blood sugar monitoring with a view to preventing rise in glucose levels leading to acute or chronic complications. Furthermore, these sections have serious gaps in knowledge that require immediate attention according to the scientists.
They further added that more participants should be included in other studies so as to grasp better the role played by socioeconomic and clinical determinants of this disease. “Our focus has been on patients’ knowledge about their own sickness rather than just biological indices based management,” Lopes Ferreira explained.“ We hope that this research will enable shaping interactions between health care professionals and patients” concluded Lopes Ferreira (ANI).
