| Summary: | In Malaysia, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was the second highest in
Perlis. Prevention and management of DM are largely dependent on self-care
in our daily lives. Nonetheless, we have little information concerning factors
influencing public engagement in DM self-practice, which might have contributed
to the high prevalence of DM in Perlis. This study was conducted to evaluate
knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with self-practice towards DM
among the public in Kangar, Perlis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in
June 2018 for three months. Eligible participants were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire in public areas in Kangar. Descriptive analyses on the
sociodemographic, medical backgrounds, knowledge, attitudes, and self-practice
towards DM were performed. Independent t-test and Spearman’s correlation were
performed to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics,
medical history, knowledge, and attitudes with self-practice towards DM. Multiple
linear regression was used to adjust for potential confounding variables. A total of
319 respondents consented and participated in this study. Most of the respondents
were female (66.5%), Malay (94%), and had tertiary education (51.7%). Overall,
most participants had good scores on knowledge (80.3%), attitudes (98.4%), and
self-practice (97.2%) towards DM. A statistically significant positive association was
found between age, education level, and attitudes score with DM self-practice
(p<0.05). This study suggests a well-structured educational program on diabetes
self-care should start as early as in school to clarify public misconceptions on DM
management.
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