Diabetes Knowledge among University Nursing Students in the North of Jordan

Abstract

2 Abstract: The purposes of this study were to: assess the diabetes knowledge among university nursing students in the north of Jordan, assess the difference between students' knowledge of insulin-use and general knowledge about diabetes and identify significant predictors of diabetes knowledge. A cross - sectional design was used to assess the diabetes knowledge among nursing university students in th e north of Jordan. A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 134 nursing students. Diabetes Knowledge Test that contained two subscales; insulin-use and general knowledge subscales was used to collect the data from the participants. The results indicated that the mean of the diabetes knowledge was (M = 46.10%, SD = 14.4). Paired t-test showed there was a statistically significant difference t (133) = 3.50, p = 0.001 between the students' knowledge of insulin-use (M = 43.10, SD = 18.27) and general knowledge about diabetes (M = 48.29, SD = 15.15). Regression analysis revealed that gender and Grade Point Average were the only significant (p<0.001) predictors of diabetes knowledge. Grade Point Average significantly predicted 8% of the variance in diabetes knowledge among university nursing students. Diabetes knowledge among university nursing students in the north of Jordan was poor. More focused educational programs should be adopted in nursing curriculum in Jordanian universities to help improve nursing students' diabetes knowledge.