Knowledge and practices about COVID-19 among diabetic population in a rural set up: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

With the emergence of a novel human corona virus, it is believed that persons with underlying health conditions or co-morbidities like diabetes mellitus, have an increasingly rapid and severe progression, often leading to death. India as a country has demonstrated an escalating prevalence of diabetes not only in urban populations, but also in rural populations as a result of the urbanization of lifestyle parameters. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 250 diagnosed diabetic patients of age group 18-60 years attending outpatient department of Rural Health Training Centre affiliated to the tertiary care hospital. The responses were tabulated and analyzed for frequencies and percentage. We observed that 70% of diabetic patients of rural population were aware about the high risk of Covid-19 infection in diabetics. Half of the diabetic patients in our study were aware of the technique of hand washing and importance of wearing mask as a precautionary measure in this COVID era. Prevention is of utmost importance, but for the millions of diabetics managing their disease must remain the priority. Sensitization of population with co-morbidities regarding self-care and precautionary measures must be implemented at root level.