Diabetes Knowledge and its relationship with metabolic control and comorbidities in type 2 diabetes patients

Abstract

Background: Education in diabetes patients is key in the intervention to avoid complications and develop new and better habits. It is necessary to know the relationship between the current diabetes knowledge of these patients with their metabolic control and the presence of comorbidities. Objective: To evaluate the diabetes knowledge and its probable association with their metabolic control and comorbidities in type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: A validated questionnaire (Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire, DKQ) was applied to 134 patients who attended a nutrition consultation at the UMF7-IMSS. Their sociodemographic data, metabolic parameters and presence of comorbidities were determined. Results: 89 patients were women (66.4%). The mean age was 53 years; body weight 75.5 kg (95% CI: 72.8-78.3); glucose 201.2 mg/dL (95% CI: 187-215); cholesterol 205 mg/dL (95% CI: 190.8-219.1); triglycerides 260.7 mg/dL (95% CI: 240.3-281.1). The level of diabetes knowledge is low, a negative relationship was found between age and the number of right answers in the DKQ. High level of general metabolic alterations was found in most of the subjects studied; an increase in the number of comorbidities was observed as glucose levels increased. In the present study, no correlation was found between the level of knowledge in diabetes and the degree of metabolic control. Conclusion: Although patients know the consequences of their disease status, they have difficulty identifying key aspects to prevent complications and promote adequate metabolic control. This work identifies the need to develop studies on effective educational strategies to minimize knowledge gaps about this condition.