Diabetes knowledge and its association with the weight status among residents of Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Dietary Knowledge and Eating Habits among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Lebanon

Little is known about the dietary knowledge (DK) and eating habits (EHs) of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Lebanon. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the DK and EH of the population with T2D and determine their associated factors. A cross-sectional survey enrolling 351 patients with T2D was carried out, using the snowball sampling technique. The survey used the UK Diabetes and Diet Questionnaire and the Dietary Knowledge questionnaire to assess participants' EH including the frequency of consumption of certain foods and their knowledge of food groups and food choices. While a higher DK index indicated better knowledge, a higher EH index indicated less healthy EH. Independent sample T-test and Mann-Whitney test were used for dichotomous variables, and ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for polytomous variables. Correlation analysis tested the association between two continuous variables. Two multiple linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with DK and EH. Overall, 67% of participants had good or adequate DK, and around 25% and 75% of them had healthy and less healthy EH, respectively. Better knowledge was significantly related to occupation, BMI, presence of comorbidities, and HbA1c testing during the last 3 months. Higher family income, physical activity, family history of diabetes, receiving help in medication administration from family or friends, and higher DK level were factors associated with healthier EH. Nutrition education and awareness campaigns aimed at patients and their families are needed to empower patients with adequate DK and skills to facilitate the adoption of healthy EH.

Level of Knowledge and Awareness of Diabetic Emergencies Among Turkish Bus Drivers: Example of the Mediterranean Region

The objective of this research was to determine the level of knowledge and awareness of diabetic emergencies among Turkish bus drivers. Methods. The universe of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was all the individuals working as bus drivers in the Mediterranean Region between January-June 2019, and the study sample was 1292 drivers who met the inclusion criteria of the research. Data were collected by the Personal Information Form and the Diabetic Emergency Information and Awareness Survey Form. Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used in data evaluation. Results. The average age of bus drivers participating in the study was 38.29 ± 9.44 years, while their average work experience was 12.50 ± 8.92 years. Among them, 14.9% of bus drivers had a diabetic family member; 23.7% of bus drivers had a first aid certificate; 11.5% of bus drivers received diabetes-related training. The average score of drivers for the level of knowledge and awareness regarding diabetic emergencies was found to be 15.39 ± 4.72. There was a statistically significant difference between the drivers’ average scores for the level of knowledge and awareness and their age, education status, work experience, the presence of chronic disease, the presence of a diabetic family member, the presence of a first aid certificate, diabetes-related training, the place of receiving this training variables (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Bus drivers were found to have above average levels of knowledge and awareness of diabetic emergencies. Bus drivers are recommended to be trained on diabetic emergencies and raising awareness of diabetes mellitus to ensure a proper intervention in case of emergencies in individuals with diabetes mellitus during travels.