Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder of multiple etiologies characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with the risk of developing micro-and macro-vascular complications. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice on life style modification of diabetic patients having chronic follow up at the diabetic clinic. Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital (HFSUH) from March 1-30, 2015 G.C. Convenience sampling technique was applied to select eligible diabetic patient. Data, regarding the knowledge, attitude and practice on lifestyle modification (LSM) of eligible diabetic patients on chronic follow up at HFSUH, was collected prospectively using interview with the help of a structured questionnaire. Data was entered into SPSS version 16 for analysis. Some statistical associations using Pearson chi-square test were made as necessary and P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Concerning the knowledge of the diabetic patients towards LSM; majority of them were found to be knowledgeable and accounts 64.2% followed by 27.2% patients who were averagely knowledgeable. Regarding the attitude of patients towards non pharmacological therapeutic approaches, majority of those (96%) had very good attitude followed by good attitude (1.2%) and poor attitude (2.9%) towards LSM. The large proportion of respondents have been with very good practice (74.6%) followed by those with average practice (20.5%). There is a significant association between knowledge and educational status (p=0.000), occupation (p=0.000) as well as area of residence (p=0.000). In addition, a significant association was observed between attitude and occupation (p=0.010) as well as residence (p=0.006). Similarly, statistically significant association was also shown between practice and occupation (p=0.040) and area of residence (p = 0.007). Generally, the majority of respondents has very good knowledge, while in the case of attitude and practice, majority of them have a good attitude and practice. Since LSM plays a pivotal role in the management of chronic diseases like DM, the health care professionals should give great emphasis for it for betterment of the overall therapeutic outcome.
