A comparison of self-care activities among patients with diabetes nephropathy attending government health facilities and private health facilities in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Self-care activities are crucial for managing diabetes nephropathy (DN), and there is not enough data on this in Bangladesh. The main target of this study was to identify the qualitative differences of self-care activities between patients attending government health facilities and private health facilities. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among the patients of DN attending government health facilities and private health facilities in Bangladesh using self-made survey question, and SPSS software version 16 was used for analysis. Results: A total of 200 ( n = 200) patients were taken, 100 from government health institutes and 100 from private health institutes. In both sectors, most of the patients were between 51 and 70 years old. In government sectors, the percentage of following healthy eating plans all days of a week was 47%, at least 30 min of physical activities on a regular basis was 39%, blood sugar testing at least once in a month was 79%, washing feet on all days of a week was 63%, having fruits/vegetables all days of a week was 27%, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) checked within the last month was 17%, having high-fat diet all days of a week was 22%, and having fried food all days of a week was 38%. In private sectors, the percentage of following healthy eating plans all days of a week was 76%, at least 30 min of physical activities on a regular basis was 58%, blood sugar testing at least once in a month was 88%, washing feet on all days of a week was 91%, having fruits/vegetables all days of a week was 63%, GFR was checked within the last month was 42%, having high fat diet all days of a week was 35%, and having fried food all days of a week was 42%. Conclusion: The patients of DN attending private health facilities were comparatively more aware and serious about self-care than the patients attending government health facilities in Bangladesh, and government health facilities should provide awareness program on this aspect.