Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Diabetic Adolescents Aged 10-14 Years Who Referred to Diabetes Clinic in Imam Hossein Hospital, Isfahan, Iran

Diabetes is the most common disease caused by a defect in carbohydrate metabolism which can have a negative effect on all organs over time. Increased awareness regarding the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients can decrease chronic complications as well as the treatment costs. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice of diabetic adolescents regarding their disease.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 150 diabetic adolescents aged 10-14 years who referred to the diabetes clinic in Imam Hossein Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. The required data were gathered using knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21) using descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard deviation, frequency), and analytical statistics. The qualitative data were analyzed using the chi-square test while the relationship of age with the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice was determined through the Pearson correlation coefficient test.

According to the findings, there was a significant relationship between the knowledge and attitudes of patients, as well as their attitudes and practice (P<0.05). Therefore, an increase in the level of knowledge increased the level of practice. Moreover, it was found that the participants with another diabetic patient in the family and longer disease duration showed better improvement of knowledge, attitude, and even practice. The result of the Pearson correlation coefficient test indicated that the age of the patients did not have a significant correlation with the total score of knowledge and practice (P>0.05). However, the age variable correlated with the score of the perceived benefits of a healthy diet (P=0.017) and self-care performance (P=0.048). Furthermore, based on the results of the independent t-test, the mean score of the total knowledge and attitude was not significantly different between male and female participants (P>0.05), while the total scores of practice (P=0.02) and physical activity (P=0.001) were significantly higher in males, compared to females.

Based on the results, it can be concluded that an increase in the level of knowledge and attitude leads to an enhancement in the level of practice of diabetes management.