Poor awareness of diabetes self-care among diabetics: Cross-sectional study from an urban poor settlement in Delhi

Introduction: Lack of awareness about self-care and misconceptions about diabetes could have a negative impact on diabetes management. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices about diabetes self-care among diabetic individuals. Subject and Methods: We undertook a community-based quantitative survey in an urban poor colony of West Delhi. Using structured questionnaires, we collected the information on sociodemographic profile, knowledge, and perception regarding diabetes self-care and related expenses, from all consenting self-reported diabetic individuals. Results: Out of 198 individuals with diabetes from 543 households, 106 completed the interview. The mean age was 53 years, with a median of 5 years since the diagnosis. Equal numbers sought care from the private and government facilities with median expenses on diabetes care being INR 855 (INR 0-3900) per month. Many (28.7%) availed blood glucose tests from nearby government sponsored Mohalla clinic and none had tested hemoglobin A1C. Most (86.7%) were aware of eye complications due to diabetes and least (8.5%) about neuropathic and vascular complications. We found misconceptions regarding medications and physical activity. Perceived ability of following prescribed medications were better than hypoglycemia management and foot-care. Higher perception score was independently associated with the duration of diabetes, higher socioeconomic status, literacy, and those availing government facilities. Most clinic visits involved the prescription of medications and diagnostics without much emphasis on the lifestyle modifications. Conclusion: Diabetics living in the urban poor settlements have accessibility to medicines and diagnostics. However, there exists misperception regarding diabetes self-care that needs to be addressed through counseling during outpatient clinic visits and effective use of mass media.