A cross-sectional study on knowledge and health seeking behaviour of adults with diabetes mellitus

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease, involving elevated blood glucose levels. The main subtypes of DM are Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which result from defective insulin secretion and/or action. T1DM presents in children or adolescents, while T2DM is thought to affect middle-aged and older adults.1 An estimated 589 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes 1 in 9. This number is predicted to rise to 853 million by 2050. This study aimed to determine the knowledge regarding diabetes mellitus among adults, to determine the health-seeking behaviour of adults with diabetes mellitus, to find association between level of knowledge and health-seeking behaviours of adults with selected demographic variables. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted in the. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 100 sample. The variables of the study were the knowledge level and health-seeking behaviours. Data collection tool included a structured knowledge questionnaire and a checklist on health-seeking behaviours. Results: The result on level of knowledge on diabetes mellitus revealed that 27% of the adults had a poor level of knowledge, 35 % of the adults had average knowledge and 38% of the adults had good knowledge regarding diabetes Mellitus. Walking was the most common wellness behaviour. Conclusions: The level of knowledge on diabetes Mellitus among the adult participants was average. Walking was the most common wellness behaviour.