Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Open Access
ISSN: 2376-0419
ISSN: 2376-0419
Maryam Al Hussaini
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Pharma Care Health Sys
Background & Aim: Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem in Kuwait. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and the knowledge of diabetes in adolescent about the disease which, will be of a great help to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and its complications. Methodology: Across-sectional survey was done to evaluate the general knowledge of diabetes. The survey was introduced randomly to the students of 30 secondary public and private schools in Kuwait. The questionnaire was divided into eight main sections, with each section focusing on different aspects of diabetes mellitus, namely, General knowledge about diabetes, Knowledge of risk factors of diabetes, Knowledge of symptoms, Knowledge on complications, Knowledge about treatment and available medications, Knowledge about lifestyle and non-medical measures, Things diabetics should not do, and Knowledge of management of diabetes. Results: A total of 4333 students contributed. The mean total knowledge score was 25.0 (SD=7.1) out of 37 and the average correct answer was 63.2%, ranges from 33.3% to 87.1%. The average correct answer for different sections were highest for monitoring section (71%) followed by general knowledge section (69.8%) and the lowest for symptoms and complications section (55.5%). The percentage correct response to 18 questions was below the overall average. Only one third of students knew that pregnant women may become diabetic through pregnancy. Also, only about half of the participants knew that diabetes can result in weight loss, impaired vision and delay in wound healing. Conclusion: The students contributed in this study have good general information about diabetes except for a few areas. Our study will clarify these areas to help in designing educational programs to treat these deficiencies of knowledge about the disease and increase the awareness.