Comparison of Knowledge and Dietary Behaviors in Diabetics and Healthy Subjects in Neyshabur City (Iran)

Knowledge and dietary behaviors play an important role in the development, control, and treatment of diabetes. This study was conducted with the objective of comparing knowledge and dietary behaviors between individuals with type 2 diabetes and healthy subjects referred to health centers in Neyshabur city.

This research was performed as a descriptive correlational study on 143 subjects (60 diabetics and 83 healthy subjects) referred to Health Center No. 7 in Neyshabur city. The samples were selected using available sampling method from volunteer referrers. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that was used for evaluation of knowledge and dietary behaviors after validity and reliability assessment. The data were analyzed by Chi square, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, logistic regression, and ANCOVA tests.

In this study, the score obtained from knowledge and dietary behaviors, was significantly different between diabetics and non-diabetics (p<0.001). Nutrition knowledge score in diabetic patients was obtained 42.9±25.1 and in healthy subjects 71.2±22.9 from the score of 100. The dietary behaviors score in diabetics was 48.3±17.8 and in non-diabetic subjects was 61.6±20.4 from the score of 100.

The results of this study showed that the level of nutrition knowledge in diabetic subjects was low and inadequate compared to the healthy subjects, and inappropriate dietary behaviors were more common in them. Therefore, it is suggested that in addition to presenting necessary trainings, the effects of these factors on the incidence and treatment of diabetes be investigated in future studies.