Suaad Abduljabar Abdulwahd Almudhafar (1)
General Background: Diabetes mellitus is a major global public health concern that contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality and requires adequate public awareness for effective prevention and management. Specific Background: Understanding the factors associated with diabetes knowledge is essential for improving health education and reducing the burden of the disease. Knowledge Gap: Limited evidence is available regarding demographic characteristics associated with diabetes knowledge among the public in Basrah, Iraq. Aims: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with the public’s knowledge about diabetes mellitus. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Basrah using a structured questionnaire administered to 600 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: The findings showed significant associations between diabetes knowledge and age, sex, and educational level. Poor knowledge decreased with increasing age, while the highest proportion of good knowledge was observed among individuals aged 30–50 years. Males demonstrated slightly higher levels of good knowledge than females. Knowledge levels increased substantially with educational attainment, with the highest proportion of good knowledge observed among participants with university education and above. Novelty: The study provides recent evidence from Basrah regarding demographic characteristics associated with public diabetes knowledge. Implications: The findings suggest that health education initiatives should consider demographic differences when designing diabetes awareness and prevention programs.
Factors Influencing the Public’s Knowledge about Diabetes Mellitus
Suaad Abduljabar Abdulwahd Almudhafar
Second Health Sector , Basra h Health Directorate , Ministry of Health, Basrah, Iraq
Email: Almzfrsad@gmail.com
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to identify the factors influencing the public'sknowledge about diabetes mellitus.
Methods:This is a descriptive (cross-sectional) study that was conducted at Basrah city. The study used a structured questionnaire to identify the factors influencing the public's knowledge about diabetes mellitus. The study period extends from 2nd September 2025 to 11th April 2026. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 26.
Results:Poor knowledge decreased with increasing age, the highest percentage of good knowledge was in the age group between 30-50 years (61.3%), the percentages of good knowledge (58%) and acceptable knowledge (36%) among males were higher than that among females (53.6% and (34.5%) respectively. The level of knowledge increased with increasing level of education, 88.4% of subjects who had a basic university and above had good knowledge.
Conclusion: Significant associations were found between certain characteristics, such as age, sex, and educational level, and the level of diabetes knowledge.
Keywords: Factors, Public, Knowledge, Diabetes Mellitus
Introduction
An estimated 1.1 million people worldwide lost their lives to diabetes in 2005. Nearly 80% of deaths take place in low- and middle-income nations, with individuals under 70 accounting for half of these deaths. According to WHO projections, diabetes-related mortality will rise by almost 50% over the next ten years if proper prevention and control measures aren't taken. Most significantly, between 2006 and 2015, diabetes-related fatalities are expected to rise by more than 80% in upper-middle-income nations . The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the general population is rising, in part because of the aging population and in part because of lifestyle changes and the ensuing obesity pandemic . This global epidemic, which affects both industrialized and developing nations, has been dubbed a "new world syndrome" symptom of globalization and its social, cultural, political, and economic implications. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, which accounts for approximately 85% of all occurrences of diabetes mellitus, is primarily affected by the pandemic . Diabetes mellitus can be detected early, its complications can be prevented, and the condition can be controlled with the use of knowledge and risk perception .
Diabetes is a multifactorial metabolic disease characterized by anomalies in the metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, as well as persistent hyperglycemia brought on by a lack of insulin activity, synthesis, or both. This raises the risk of both macrovascular problems (ischemic heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease) and microvascular damage (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) . The American Diabetes Association defines diabetes as having a post-glucose load of at least 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) or a fasting plasma glucose measurement of at least 126 g/dl (7 mmol/l) .
Considering current developments in the field of diabetes, the classification of diabetes mellitus has changed significantly over time. Nowadays, the classification is mostly determined by the disease's etiology, or causes, rather than how it is treated. Defects, illnesses, or processes that frequently lead to diabetes mellitus are referred to as etiological types . Absolute insulin insufficiency is the hallmark of idiopathic beta cell loss .
Insulin resistance and relative insulin insufficiency are the hallmarks of the diverse collection of conditions known as type 2 diabetes mellitus . Disorders in insulin action and secretion are the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes, which is the most common type. When this type of diabetes first appears clinically, both are usually present, and the obesity that frequently coexists with the disease helps to explain the insulin resistance that occurs in this type . The risk of type 2 diabetes rises with age, obesity, and inactivity. It varies by racial/ethnic grouping and is more prevalent in women who have a history of dyslipidemia, hypertension, or gestational diabetes mellitus . Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors influencing the public's knowledge about diabetes mellitus.
Methods
This is a descriptive (cross-sectional) study that was conducted at Basrah city. The study used a structured questionnaire to identify the factors influencing the public's knowledge about diabetes mellitus. The study period extends from 2nd September 2025 to 11th April 2026. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 26. Data collected through the self-reported questionnaire from 3rd October 2025 to 9th December 2026. Non-probability (purposive) sampling was conducted on 600 diabetic and 600 non-diabetic samples.
Endorsement of the study was obtained from the Basrah General Health Directorate. A sample of the subjects who attended the mentioned primary health care centers was chosen. Every participant gave their informed verbal consent. Participants may have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or they may not. A two-part questionnaire was filled out based on an extensive literature review, adapting questions from published studies and adding questions that were considered of value [11-13].
Part 1 covered the participant's sociodemographic state (age, sex, and educational status), while Part 2 was basic knowledge questions on diabetes mellitus. A total of 23 questions were used, covering key areas of knowledge about diabetes mellitus.
Results
Level of diabetes knowledge according to age
Table 1 shows that the percentage of poor knowledge decreased with increasing age; the highest percentage of good knowledge was in the age group between 30-50 years (61.3%), with a significant association between level of knowledge and age.
Table 1: The level of Diabetes Knowledge according to Age
X 2 = 13.05, df=4, p < 0.05
Level of diabetes knowledge according to sex
As shown in the table, the percentages of good knowledge (58%) and acceptable knowledge (36%) among males were higher than those among females (53.6% and (34.5%) respectively, with a significant association between the sex of the respondents and the level of knowledge.
Table 2 : The level of Diabetes Knowledge according to Sex
X 2 = 6.012 , df= 2 , p < 0.05
Level of diabetes knowledge according to educational status
Table 3 shows that the level of knowledge increased with increasing level of education, 88.4% of subjects who were with basic university and above had good knowledge, as compared to 29.5% of those who were illiterate, with a highly significant association.
Table 3 : The level of Diabetes Knowledge according to Educational Status
Discussion
This study showed a positive correlation between diabetic knowledge and age, which was an important characteristic; the percentage of poor knowledge decreased with increasing age. The highest percentage of good knowledge was in the age group between 30 and 50 years. The study showed that younger subjects had poorer disease knowledge; this observation could suggest that younger subjects were less interested in diabetes. A similar finding was reported in a study conducted in Saudi Arabia . Also in Oman, it had been found that age was an important predictor of diabetic knowledge .
This study showed that the overall male diabetes knowledge was more than that of females; the possible explanation could be the low female literacy rate. This finding was consistent with other studies .
Males were often found to be better knowledgeable about diabetes mellitus, according to a study done on primary care facility attendants in Gadap town, Karachi, Pakistan .
Men are better informed than women on the signs, symptoms, and complications of diabetes, according to a study on population knowledge of the disease in rural Northwest Pakistan .
The educational status was found to be favorably correlated with diabetes knowledge in this study, suggesting that individuals' degree of education directly affects their understanding of diabetes mellitus. Due to potential issues with reading, writing, and comprehension, low levels of education can undoubtedly restrict access to information.
An investigation into diabetes risk factors and preventative strategies carried out in Saudi Arabia revealed that diabetes knowledge increased with a higher level of education . This finding was also congruent with other studies .
Conclusion
Significant associations were found between certain characteristics such as age, sex, and educational level) and the level of diabetes knowledge. Further studies must be conducted with a larger sample size.
References
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