Previous Counseling Research Articles

Profile of substance individual with substance use disorders: community-based project results

ABSTRACT Objective Substance use disorders have emerged as a remarkable public health problem worldwide in recent years. The present study aimed to determine the severity of substance use disorders of individuals who applied to the counseling unit within the scope of the project “Opening Doors to Hope, Holding on to Life,” and to examine the relationship between their sociodemographic, measured characteristics and the severity of substance use. Methods The data of this descriptive cross-sectional study were collected using the demographic information and substance use characteristics, and Addiction Profile Index-Clinical Form (BAPI-K) during the project implementation between February 2019 and December 2020. Results The findings revealed that 52.7% of the applicants had a low substance use level, while it was high among 23.3%. Significant relationships were detected between the severity of substance use and education level, previous counseling on addiction, level of depression, anxiety, poor anger management, and lack of safe behavior (p < .05). Conclusion This study revealed significant relationships between the severity of substance use disorders and level of depression, anxiety, anger management issues, and lack of safe behaviors. In this context, considering these factors in the substance use disorder treatment process could potentially enhance treatment success.

Pemantauan Tumbuh Kembang Bayi dan Balita dan Edukasi Gizi dalam Pencegahan Stunting di Posyandu Anggrek di Kelurahan Banyurip Kota Pekalongan

Stunting is a condition of growth failure in children under five due to chronic malnutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days of life (HPK). Stunting affects brain growth and development so that there is a higher risk of suffering from chronic diseases in adulthood. The effort to handle stunting is by maximizing Posyandu. Posyandu can function as a comprehensive early detection, handling and consultation on stunting.) Posyandu cadres must be able to take part in efforts to deal with stunting, at least by being able to carry out early detection of stunting, the existence of posyandu can help monitor the development of nutritional status of toddlers based on recording and reporting taken from data on the results of weighing toddlers. The method used in this community service activity is through counseling activities for parents in the Anggrek Posyandu area, Banyurip Village, Pekalongan City. The results of this activity increased the knowledge of participants, namely good knowledge as much as 92% from the previous counseling only 34%.

Firearm screening in pediatric patients.

In the United States, firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents 1-19 years of age. Although many pediatricians believe addressing firearm safety is important and have guidance from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, few routinely screen and counsel on firearm safety. The goal of this project was to screen all patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department, pediatric floor, and pediatric intensive care unit for the presence of firearms in the home, firearm storage practices, and whether they had previously received any firearm counseling by medical professionals. A 13-item survey was administered to each participant. Items included demographic information, willingness to answer questions about firearms, practice of asking questions about firearms, previous counseling from medical professionals about the presence of firearms in the home and the presence of firearm in their personal home as well as storage practices. A total of 200 parents responded to the survey. Of those that responded to the survey, 171 (85.5%) did not have a firearm in the home and 28 (14%) did have a firearm in the home. 75% (n = 21) had never had a medical provider discuss firearm safety with them. 100% had never been asked by another parent about the presence of a firearm in their home when a child came over for a playdate. 39% (n = 11) of parents with a firearm in the home had asked other parents whether they have a firearm in the home where their child goes to play. Findings from our study highlight a significant lack of screening of our pediatric patients both in the inpatient and outpatient settings, with the majority reporting that they had never been asked by a medical provider about firearm safety. In addition, three quarters of parents with a firearm in the home reported that they did not mind answering questions about firearms yet none had been asked by other parents about firearms. Thus, although firearm possession and safety is considered to be a sensitive topic, many parents are willing to discuss it with their health care providers and other parents.

Effectiveness of a Well-Being Therapy Protocol on Sexual Minority Psychological Well-Being: A Single-Case Research Design

Sexual minority individuals are at higher risk of mental health concerns than heterosexual individuals due to the impacts of minority stress. Previous counseling interventions for sexual minority individuals have focused on pathology and reducing negative symptoms. However, there is a need for more empirical counseling interventions that address these disparities from a positive psychology perspective. Utilizing a multiple probe single case research design, the current study examined the impact of a well-being therapy protocol for improving the psychological well-being for four sexual minority individuals. There was no functional relation observed for the Well-Being Therapy protocol on psychological well-being. Discussion of the findings and implications for future research are discussed.

Perceptions of skincare ingredients and product labels in pediatric eczema care.

Educating pediatric eczema patients and caregivers on appropriate product selection and avoidance of common irritants or allergens is a crucial aspect of eczema management. This study surveyed 80 pediatric caregivers in an academic pediatric dermatology clinic to assess influential factors in caregivers' selection of pediatric eczema-care products and identify ways to improve patient counseling on appropriate product selection and avoidance of common irritants or allergens. Caregivers frequently reported positive perceptions of commonly recommended ingredients for eczema but had inconsistent perceptions of fragrant plant oils and extracts, regardless of previous counseling on fragrance avoidance. These findings demonstrate uncertainty and misperceptions perpetuated by product labeling and a need for improved counseling strategies for avoiding fragrance and excessive product costs.

Optimism, hope, and coping during practicum: predicting changes in perceived clinical competence

ABSTRACT We examined the degree that optimism and hope predicted coping and perceived competence in counselling psychology practicum students. Masters students from a Northern California university (N = 74) completed surveys at four points during practicum year: (T1) baseline, (T2) one month, (T3) mid-year, and (T4) final month. Measures assessed dispositional optimism and hope, adaptive and maladaptive coping, and perceived clinical competence. Over time, self-reported competence increased. There was a T1 optimism X time Interaction predicting perceived competence, but no T1 hope X time interaction. This interaction continued to be significant when covarying adaptive and maladaptive coping and appeared driven by the fact that low-optimism trainees initially had worse perceived competence than high-optimism trainees. In the absence of previous counselling experience, there was a relationship between trainees’ levels of optimism and their perceived clinical competence. Specifically, low-optimism students saw themselves as less competent at baseline than high-optimism students, but this perceived competence subsequently increased over time, with both groups seeing themselves as similarly competent by end of year. Past authors theorized that individuals with high levels of positive expectancies initially overestimate their abilities in novel situations. This may explain why high-optimism students rated their competence as relatively great at baseline.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Outpatients Medication Knowledge and Quality of Life

&lt;p&gt;According to the Indonesian Lupus Foundation (YLI) in the last decade, the number of people with SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) has continued to increase every year. This research was undertaken to assess the medication knowledge and quality of life among SLE outpatients who had been counselled by pharmacist. A cross-sectional, non-experimental, descriptive study design was used in this research. A total of 121 respondents from Semarang and Yogyakarta met the criteria. Seventy (57,85%) respondents had previous counseling, while 51 (42,15%) respondents never. Their knowledge score was 32,17 ± 3,52 and the quality of life was 59,23 ± 17,04. There was any correlation between the knowledge score and their quality of life. *P 0,014. Their average age was 31,53 ± 7,77 years. It was positively related with their Quality of life *P 0,031 but not to their knowledge score. The participants’ education level and disease duration were not considerably related with QoL and knowledge. Previous counseling by the pharmacists was positively related to their knowledge score, but not to their quality of life (*P 0,034 and 0,793). The conclusion that can be drawn is the SLE outpatients had low knowledge and their quality of life is not good enough. Pharmacists’ counseling can improve SLE outpatients’ knowledge scores significantly but not their QoL.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Knowledge and medication adherence of oral anticoagulant-taking patients in Vietnam

BackgroundOral anticoagulants for venous thromboembolism are not thoroughly managed in ambulatory settings in low-/middle-income countries, primarily because of patients’ neglect of medication knowledge and adherence. ObjectivesThis study was conducted to investigate patient knowledge, adherence, and the associated factors at a Vietnamese tertiary hospital, serving as a reference for educational programs in other local and regional health care facilities. MethodsA randomly recruited cross-sectional study was conducted on patients using vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). The primary and secondary outcomes were the knowledge score (in percent) and adherence to oral anticoagulants. Student’s t-tests or chi-squared tests were used to compare the crude differences in mean or proportion between patients taking VKA and DOAC. Regression models were conducted to adjust the potential confounders and determine factors associated with patient knowledge and adherence. ResultsA total of 199 patients were included. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients receiving a DOAC had similar knowledge scores and levels of adherence compared with those taking VKA, with both groups being suboptimal. Previous counseling was associated with higher knowledge. Better medication knowledge, female sex, and no history of venous thromboembolism were associated with better adherence. ConclusionGood knowledge and adherence of oral anticoagulant-taking patients remain limited in Southeast Asian clinical practice. Further studies in similar settings should examine the associations between these factors and the effectiveness of the regimens. More effective measures targeting patient knowledge and adherence should be implemented to optimize anticoagulation therapy, improve the patients’ outcomes, and mitigate the associated adverse effects.

Mental Health 911: Advocating for the Integration of Behavioral Health Services in Pediatric Hospital Emergency Departments

The coronavirus disease pandemic of 2019 has led to increased concern in mental health needs among pediatric populations. As the number of pediatric mental health emergency department visits have increased, so has the need for integrated behavioral health services in hospitals. This paper describes a standard of mental health care and the benefits of providing mental health services in pediatric hospital settings. The Trauma Mental Health Counseling Program, Hurt-2-Healing (H2H™) was developed and implemented in a Level-1 pediatric hospital and has served a total of 1,523 pediatric trauma patients and their caregivers since 2021. This program established a new hospital-based standard of mental healthcare for pediatric trauma patients and their caregivers. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the efficacy of the Hurt-2-Healing program within domains such as openness to seeking counseling, psychoeducation, helpfulness of counseling, and ability to cope with the traumatic injury. The majority of (83%) patients/caregivers had no previous counseling experience prior to hospital admittance. Questionnaire responses indicated that after receiving mental health services, caregivers felt more aware of their children’s mental health needs and reported being more open to seeking future mental health counseling services for their child. Further, most respondents were in strong agreement that receiving mental health counseling services during the hospital stay was helpful. These results highlight the need for, and benefit of, providing a standard of care integrating behavioral health services in pediatric hospitals.

A phase II randomised controlled trial evaluating the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an education program on speech-language pathologist’ self-efficacy, and self-rated competency for counselling to support psychological wellbeing in people with post-stroke aphasia

ABSTRACT Background Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) utilize counseling to support the psychological wellbeing of people with post-stroke aphasia, however, SLPs receive variable, usually limited, counseling education. Counseling education may be effective in improving SLPs’ knowledge, skills, and confidence in counseling in post-stroke aphasia. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a novel online counseling education program for SLPs working with people with post-stroke aphasia. Method Our study was a Phase II, two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control. Participants (n = 49) were stratified by previous counseling training (≥1 day) and co-work with psychologists when addressing psychological wellbeing in post-stroke aphasia, and randomized to either the education program or waitlist control arm. We developed an education program (7-hours self-directed learning; 3-hour online workshop) for the trial. Feasibility outcomes included SLP recruitment, workshop attendance, and participant attrition at follow-up. Participants’ counseling self-efficacy and self-rated competency were assessed pre- and post-program (primary endpoint) and at 5-week follow-up. Results Forty-four (90%) participants attended the workshop with forty-one (84%) participants completing the trial. There was a significant interaction (large effect size) between time and group supporting a positive effect of the program on counseling self-efficacy, F(1,44) = 39.402, p < . 0005, ηp 2 = . 472 and self-rated competency for counseling, F(1,44) = 31.824, p < . 0005, ηp 2 = . 420. The effects were maintained at follow-up with self-rated competency scores demonstrating further significant improvement. Conclusions The demonstrated feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this online counseling program warrant a future definitive trial.

"From Health Experts to Health Guides": Motivational Interviewing Learning Processes and Influencing Factors.

Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based counseling approach. However, its learning processes and their influencing factors are understudied, failing to address the suboptimal use of motivational interviewing in clinical practice. A participatory action research was conducted in collaboration with 16 primary care clinicians, who encountered similar challenges through their previous counseling approaches. The study aimed to facilitate and describe the clinicians' professional transformation through interprofessional communities of practice on motivational interviewing (ICP-MI). Data were collected using the principal investigator's research journal and participant observation of four independent ICP-MIs (76 h) followed by focus groups (8 h). The co-participants performed inductive qualitative data analysis. Results report that learning motivational interviewing requires a paradigm shift from health experts to health guides. The learning processes were initiated by the creation of an openness to the MI spirit and rapidly evolved into iterative processes of MI spirit embodiment and MI skill building. The intrinsic influencing factors involved the clinician's personal traits and professional background; the extrinsic influencing factor was the shared culture disseminating the expert care model. Previously described in a fragmented manner, motivational interviewing learning processes, and its influencing factors were presented as integrated findings. Considerations in elaborating effective MI training/implementation programs are discussed for clinicians, trainers, and decision-makers. Future areas of investigation are also highlighted calling forth the research community to contribute to knowledge advancement on health education in primary care.

1356. Association Between Marital Status and Pre-pregnancy STI Counseling Among Women Who Have Recently Given Birth: RI PRAMS 2016-2018

Abstract Background As rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to rise, all women of reproductive age can suffer from complications particularly during pregnancy which can lead to adverse neonatal outcomes. Currently, data on STI counseling among married women are limited. This study aims to assess differences in pre-pregnancy STI counseling based on marital status among women who have recently given birth. Methods We utilized the Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (RI PRAMS) 2016-2018, a population-based survey of postpartum women. Mothers self-reported if they have received STI counseling for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis during any health care visit in the 12 months before becoming pregnant. Marital status was obtained from the birth certificate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed adjusting for age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, insurance, income, and previous live birth. We accounted for weighting and complex survey design. Results Our analytic sample included 2,361 mothers. More than half of the women reported never having received pre-pregnancy STI counseling about the 3 most reported and curable STIs in the US. Among them, an estimated 78.9% (n=1,207) of married women did not receive pre-pregnancy STI counseling compared to 53.6% (n=429) of unmarried women (Table 1). Married women had 0.61 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.81) odds of receiving STI counseling before pregnancy compared to unmarried women (Figure 1). Other risk factors for not receiving STI counseling included having a college education or higher or having a previous live birth. Table 1. Characteristics of Women who have Recently Given Birth by Marital Status, RI PRAMS 2016-2018 (n=2,361) *Unknown/missing values for each category &amp;lt;10%.**Uninsured population &amp;lt;1% Figure 1: Adjusted Odds of Having Received Pre-pregnancy STI Counseling among Recent Mothers, RI PRAMS 2016-2018 (n=2,361) *P-value &amp;lt;0.05Reference Group; Marital Status: unmarried, Age: &amp;lt; 25 years old, Race: White, Hispanic: Non-Hispanic, Education: High school degree or less, Insurance: Public insurance, Income: &amp;lt; &amp;24,000, Previous live birth: No previous live birth Conclusion Selective STI counseling creates gaps and missed opportunities to address STIs early before pregnancy. All women regardless of their perceived risk for STI or assumptions based on their marital status should receive proper STI counseling as all women are vulnerable and at higher risk of developing complications. Health care providers should increase efforts to address this gap and counsel all women about STIs during every visit irrespective of their marital status. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

A cross-sectional assessment of Indonesian female health cadres' knowledge and attitude towards antibiotics.

Health cadres have a key role in building awareness related to irrational antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in Indonesia. Cadres help to bridge the gap between the shortage of health professionals and the need to reach the broader population. This study aimed to identify cadres' background, antibiotic knowledge and attitudes in an Indonesian setting. A paper-based questionnaire survey was validated and conducted among purposefully selected cadres attending a seminar in Malang Indonesia. A 5-point Likert scale was used to identify attitudes, while true/false statements determined their knowledge. A total of 112 cadres responded, giving a 100% response rate. The majority had been cadres for >2 years with previous counseling experience. Their attitudes on antibiotic use, were shown by the lower levels of disagreement to the statements "when I get a sore throat, I prefer to use antibiotics" (37.5%); "I would take antibiotics if I have had a cough for more than one week" (41.1%); and, "when I get influenza, I would take antibiotics to help me recover sooner" (47.3%), within the "indications" domain. For knowledge, lower scores were reported for domains related to "indications" (mean 1.49 ± 0.82/3), "resistance" (mean 1.06 ± 0.94/3), and "storage and disposal" (mean 1.23 ± 0.78/3). These findings indicated a need to improve cadres' attitudes and knowledge prior their involvement as change agents for improving the rational use of antibiotics to minimise antibiotic resistance in Indonesia.

Online digital storytelling video on promoting men's intentions to seek counselling for depression: The role of empathy.

Applying the narrative transportation theory, we sought to test the role of a male-sensitive digital storytelling video as a source to persuade men to develop greater intentions to seek counselling based on their empathic reactions to the storyteller. Using a post-test only design, a total of 247 diverse adult men (M = 35.86, SD = 12.75) were randomly assigned to either the brochure or video condition and subsequently reported on their state empathy, perceived persuasiveness, and intentions to seek counselling. Controlling for previous counselling experience, a three-way interaction analysis was conducted to assess the significance of the relationship between persuasiveness and intentions to seek counselling across the two conditions, and whether empathy moderated this association in each condition. For men who viewed the brochure, greater persuasiveness was linked to lower intentions to seek counselling at all levels of empathy; although, at high empathy, the relationship was not significant. A similar trend was observed for men who viewed the video at low and mean empathy levels. However, for men who reported high empathy after viewing the video, greater persuasiveness was significantly linked to greater intentions to seek counselling. Empathy may play a viable role in promoting intentions to seek counselling among men who view persuasive digital storytelling content on depression. However, more research needs to be conducted on the conditions that make it favourable for men to have empathic reactions to the contents. Implications for research and the potential for intervention are discussed.

A Phenomenological Exploration of Client Meaningful Experiences in Family Counseling

This is a constructivist phenomenological study of client meaningful experiences in family counseling where researchers employed two post-session interviews with each family. The sample consisted of six participants (three families) who ranged in age from seven to 47. Participant racial/ethnic identities included five White and one biracial and gender identities included four female and two male. Findings revealed the following themes: (a) counseling sessions are a positive experience and something to look forward to, with subthemes counselor exhibits unconditional positive regard, differs in positive ways from previous counseling experiences and counselors, and play and mindfulness activities; (b) counseling is family focused, with subthemes counseling has strengthened the family bond and counseling has helped family identify strengths; and (c) counseling is a process, with subthemes collectively seeing improvement in child’s behavior, learning coping skills, and processing difficult subjects and emotions. Findings and implications for counselors are discussed.

Electronic counseling applications using framework code igniter

This research includes students, the counseling teacher concerned, and student guardians. In addition to related campuses, the world can also be a reference for the same institution to use the results of this research, so that the scientific benefits of this research can be felt by many people which can have an impact on time savings, distance and reduce the use of paper to record student counseling. In this study, we will make an application that can be interpreted between counseling and counseling participants, where counseling participant data can be recorded correctly, and the data can be used to monitor the progress of the counseling participants themselves with counseling. The problems in this study are 1. The absence of applications that can help record the current counseling process, 2. Difficulties in finding data about counseling participants, who have done previous counseling, 3. The desire to reduce the use of printed materials. So the purpose of this research is to create applications that can process data and store counseling participant data that can be used with counseling, applications that will be made web-based, and applications made using the PHP programming language, with MySQL databases and web-based sites using the Code igniter framework, and we call this application E-Counseling.

Determinants of Statin Initiation Among Adult Diabetic Patients in Bonga, Ethiopia.

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic degenerative disease associated with a high risk of chronic complications and comorbidities. According t the World Health Organization, 16.7 million people worldwide die of cardiovascular diseases each year.Aim of the StudyThe aim of this study is to evaluate determinants of statin initiation among diabetic patients.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate statin initiation and determinants in Gebre Tsadik Shewa General Hospital, Bonga, Ethiopia. This hospital covers a catchment population of about 1.4 million and offers diagnosis and treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings in different departments. Epi data 4.0.2.49 and STATA 14.2 were used for data entry and analysis. Before analysis, presence of co-linearity and model fitness were checked. Chi-square statistics were used to check adequacy of cells for binary logistic regression. Bivariate analysis was done and p <0.25 was included in a multivariate model. Finally p-value less than 0.05 was considered a significant predictor.ResultsA total of 120 patients were included in this study, of which 77 (64.17%) were males. The mean age and standard deviation was 47.04 ± 12.13 years with 75% of patients ≥40 years. The mean duration of illness was 10.26 ± 0.6 years. Ninety-eight (81.67%) patients had varying comorbidities. Sixty-four (53.33%) patients developed complications. The majority of patients were evaluated by a general practitioner (GP). Fifty-one (42.5%) patients started statins. Of them, 31 (60.78%) started for secondary prevention. The majority of patients had atorvastatin with moderate dosage. Government insurance (p=0.029), polypharmacy (0.008), physician level of training (0.023) and previous counseling of patients about the importance of statins (p<001) were significantly associated with initiation of statins.ConclusionOnly near to 40% of patients started statins. Physician reluctance and unavailability of drugs were the most common reasons not to initiate statins. The hospital tries to provide medication. Physicians should evaluate patients in need of cardio-protective drugs.

When should intensive care be provided for the extremely preterm infants born at the margin of viability? A survey of Australasian parents and clinicians.

This study aimed to explore clinician and parent opinions of risk limits on resuscitation and intensive care (IC) for extremely premature infants born at the margin of viability. Two anonymous on-line surveys were conducted from August 2016 to January 2017. Survey participants were: (i) clinicians affiliated with neonatal intensive care units in Australia; and (ii) parents or individuals who expressed interest in premature babies through the Facebook page of Miracle Babies Foundation. A total of 961 responses were received. Among 204 clinicians, 52% were neonatologists, 22% obstetricians, 20% neonatal intensive care unit nurses and 4% were midwives. Among 757 parents, 98% had a premature baby. Only 75% of clinicians responded to the risk limits questions. Median mortality risk above which they would not recommend resuscitation/IC was 70% (interquartile range (IQR) 50-80%); major disability risk in survivors 60% (IQR 50-75%); and composite risk of mortality and major disability 70% (IQR 50-80%). All parents answered the risk limit questions. The median mortality risk for not planning resuscitation was 90% (IQR 60-90%); major disability risk in survivors 50% (IQR 30-90%); and composite risk 90% (IQR 50-90%). Most clinicians (82%) stated that decisions should be guided by parent opinions if there are uncertainties. Parents had varying perception of previous counselling, and 57% stated that both their viewpoint and doctor's predicted risk influenced their decision-making. Clinicians and parents had different views on mortality and major disability risks when deciding on resuscitation/neonatal IC treatment. When there was uncertainty, both agreed on working together.

Cross‐culture adaptation and validation of English version of Rheumatoid Arthritis Knowledge Assessment Scale (RAKAS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

To carry out cross-culture adaptation and validation of the English version of Rheumatoid Arthritis Knowledge Assessment Scale (RAKAS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A cross-sectional study was conducted for 2months in 2 tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Sample size was calculated based on item-subject ratio. The translation was carried out using standard procedures for translation and cross-culture adaptation. The validation process included estimation of discrimination power, item difficulty index, factorial, convergent, construct and known group validities and reliability. Reliability of the scale was estimated using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 and a value of σ2 ≥0.6 was acceptable. SPSS v23, Remark Classic OMR v6 software and MedCalc Statistical Software v16.4.3, were used to analyze the data. The study was approved by the relevant ethics committee (IRB#NOV:15). The mean score was 7.68±2.52 (95% CI: 7.31-8.05) for 177 patients. The σ2 =0.601, that is, >0.6, test-retest reliability ρ=.753, P<.05. The average discrimination power=47.27, average Item Difficulty Index=0.557. The fit indices were acceptable in a range that established its factorial validity and average factor loading was ≥0.7 which established convergent validity. A significant association (χ2 =33.074, P<.01) between score interpretation and previous counseling by pharmacists established its construct validity. A significant association (χ2 =19.113, P<.05) between score interpretation and patient occupation established known group validity. The English version of RAKAS was deemed a reliable and validated tool to measure knowledge about disease in Pakistani patients with RA.

2277-PUB: Factors Effecting Diabetes Patients’ Perception of Diet: An Extended Analysis of Facts and Fads

Aim: To assess the awareness of dietary constituents, perception of diet in those with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional, objective, qualitative questionnaire-based assessment was performed among outpatient diabetes patients who visited tertiary diabetes care centers in Metropolitan cities of India. The questionnaire was answered by diabetes patients in a simple ’Yes’ or ’No’ format about awareness of various foods. The questions were about diet, quantity that could be consumed, and myths about various food products consumed routinely. Patients’ perception of diet was categorized into ’correct’ and ’incorrect’ depending on their response to each question in a 10-point questionnaire. A score of ’1’ was given for each ’correct’ answer and ’0’ for an ’incorrect’ answer. Maximum score one can get is 10/10 and a minimum of 0/10. Results: Total 2295 patients with diabetes were assessed. Patients included were in age range 9 to 90 years with median age of 55 years. Males, females were 62% and 38% respectively. A mean score of 3.8 and median score of 4 was achieved. 2.2% patients achieved maximum correct answer score of 9/10 and 5.9% patients had minimum score 0/10. 44.8% patients scored &amp;lt;4, 45.3% scored 4-6 and 9.9% scored &amp;gt;6. Socioeconomic status, education, HbA1c levels, occupation, Insulin use, duration of diabetes were the factors that contributed to better level of awareness about diet (p &amp;lt;0.001). Age &amp;lt;40 years, male gender, type 1 diabetes, previous diet counseling, exercise patterns, family history of diabetes, unmarried, weight &amp;lt;40kgs, history of no alcohol usage and being non-smoker, were associated with better scores, although not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study gives valuable insights into the lack of awareness about daily food products and the factors associated with the diet perceptions in diabetic patients. This facilitates health care providers to work on areas that could facilitate improving awareness about dietary practices in those with diabetes. Disclosure R.S. Erukulapati: None. M. Rm: None. K. Dash: None. S. Das: None. H. Reddy: None. V. S: None. A. Punjani: None. S. Yalamanchili: None. S. Tippisetty: None. V.K. Kolukula: None. S.G. Krishna: None.