Popular Misconceptions Regarding the Diabetes Management: Where Should We Focus Our Attention?

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a universal health problem with a global prevalence of 1.3%. India is known as the "Diabetes capital of the world" as it harbours the largest number of diabetes patients. There is lack of awareness about the existing interventions for preventing diabetes and for the management of the complications. One of the barriers in the way of seeking health care advice is the misconception about the disease, which revolves around all the aspects of diabetes, which include its prevention, control and treatment. Objectives:1. To determine the various misconceptions about the management of Diabetes mellitus in the study area. 2.To find out the association of various misconceptions with the socio-demographic factors. Material and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Urban Health Centre (UHC) Ariankuppam, Pondicherry. A total of 406 adult patients were interviewed. A pretested, semi-structured interview schedule was developed in the local language, and it was utilized to collect the data. The collected interview schedules were scrutinized for the accuracy of the information which was provided and for any lacunae. The compilation and analysis were carried out with the help of the EpiInfo software. The T test and the Chi-square test were used according to the distribution of the data, to see the associations of the different factors. Results:The commonest misconceptions were "Diabetes can be cured by herbal treatment" (46.6%) and "Bitter foods reduce the elevated blood sugar levels" (46.6%). The misconception, "The treatment should be stopped if the diabetes is controlled for few months" significantly decreased with advancing age. There were no significant differences between females and males when the various misconceptions were compared. The commonest misconception among females was "Bitter foods reduce the elevated blood sugar levels" (49.4%) and among males, it was "Diabetes can be cured by herbal treatment" (47.9%). When the misconceptions were compared, it was found that there were significant differences between the subjects who belonged to different religions.

The Misconceptions and Determinants of Diabetes Knowledge in Patients with Diabetes in Taiwan

“…Instrument. This study sought to assess patients' knowledge of diabetes using a questionnaire specifically developed for this study based on literature review, [7,8,10,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] paper-and web-based patient education materials, and expert opinion. During questionnaire design, first, the questions collected from the above sources were divided into categories such as efficacy, side effects, medication use, complications, daily healthcare, and disease awareness.…”

“…Indeed, lack of awareness and insufficient understanding of diabetes could lead to adverse consequences. In recent years, a few studies have investigated patients' knowledge about their diabetes [7][8][9][10] or examined the association between diabetesrelated self-care knowledge and glycemic control [10][11][12][13]. For example, a study conducted by Mann et al demonstrated that certain misconceptions about diabetes and its treatment were associated with poor glycemic control [10].…”

Level of myths and misconceptions about diabetes mellitus and its treatment among urban diabetics of Haryana: a cross sectional study

“…Considering 50% prevalence of the awareness about diabetes with a 10% relative error, sample size came out to be 400. 6 400 known diabetic patients of study area who were above 18 years and had given their consent to participate in the study were included. Known diabetics were enrolled in the study because they practice various methods to control the disease and carry various beliefs about the disease.…”

“…Understanding the myths and misconceptions about diabetes mellitus, is important in providing excellent care and health education to both patients and healthy individuals. 6 Aim of study was to know the level of myths and misconceptions about diabetes and its treatment among urban diabetics of Haryana.…”

Curcumin Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy by Suppressing NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling

“…The incidence of diabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide, and the condition is projected to affect 300 million people by 2025, approximately one-third of whom will develop diabetic nephropathy (DN) [ 1 ]. DN is manifested by the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins and an irreversible decline in renal function and is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) [ 2 ].…”