కమ్యూనిటీ & పబ్లిక్ హెల్త్ నర్సింగ్ జర్నల్

నైరూప్య

Evaluation of Diabetic Foot Care Knowledge, Determinants of Self-Care Practices and the Efficacy of Health Education

Xiaomei Xu, Sensen Zheng, Zhenhao Cao, Housen Jiang, Lin Shi, Zhenjie Wang, Hui Xu

Background: The prevalence of diabetes and its associated foot complications is steadily increasing. It is imperative to explore preventive education on foot care to address these complications. Our study aims to assess the risk factors linked to diabetic foot care and examine the efficacy of health education in this regard.

Objectives: Our objectives are to evaluate the risk factors connected with diabetic foot care and investigate the impact of health education on promoting proper diabetic foot care practices.

Materials and methods: We administered a structured pre-test survey questionnaire to patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who frequented our health examination center and community health clinics. The survey encompassed patient demographics, basic knowledge concerning diabetic foot care, and self-care practices pertaining to diabetic foot care. Concurrent assessments and scoring were carried out. Following the survey, patients underwent health education sessions focusing on foot self-care behaviors. Their progress was reevaluated after two weeks to gauge the effectiveness.

Results: We identified educational attainment, diabetes duration, regular follow-up, and blood sugar control as key factors influencing knowledge about foot care and self-care practices related to it. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between scores for diabetic foot care knowledge and scores for self-care behaviors (r=0.32, P<0.001). Health education led to a significant improvement in the self-care behaviors of diabetic patients.

Conclusion: The occurrence of diabetic foot complications and self-care behaviors associated with diabetic foot care are influenced by a variety of factors. Health education proves to be an effective means of enhancing diabetic foot care behaviors.