Awareness and knowledge of diabetes mellitus in rural population visiting a tertiary care hospital of Central India

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) has risen dramatically in developing countries over the past 2 decades reaching level of almost 70% of all cases. The ICMR-INDIAN Diabetes study showed that by 2030 projected No. of people with DM will be around 101.2million. This study focuses on the level of awareness and knowledge about DM in the general rural population of central India by using a pre-validated questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural population of central India in a tertiary care hospital of central India. The duration of study was of 2 months. A total of 200 individuals whose aged above 20 years were screened by using a pre-validated questionnaire regarding awareness and knowledge of DM, associated risk factors, complications and it’s relation to pregnancy (Gestational Diabetes mellitus-GDM). 84% of the population reported that they knew about diabetes, 58.5% population knew that it could causes complications while 65.5% of the populations were aware of the fact that it is preventable and also its preventive factors. The questions related to DM and pregnancy revealed that 50% of the population was not aware of its complications in pregnancy, its effect on later life and on the children born to diabetic mother. This study reveals that knowledge about the basic understanding of DM (like its incidence, symptoms and its prevention) is quite satisfactory: but there is lack of awareness about the complications of diabetes and its effect on pregnancy and children born to diabetic mother. This emphasizes the need for carrying out awareness programs down to masses in rural area. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), Awareness, Rural population, Complication.