KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE TOWARD DISEASE AND PRACTICE SURVEY ON DIABETES IN GARDABANI DISTRICT

In 2014-2016, the Georgia Red Cross Society (GRCS) implemented a project to improve diabetes prevention, detection and care in rural Georgia, namely in the Gardabani district. The KAP survey was conducted to determine current levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding diabetes among the general population in the Gardabani district. We compared current findings with baseline results from a 2014 survey to identify trends. A cross sectional study design with multi-stage random sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected at households through face-to-face individual interviews using a specially designed questionnaire. In total, 716 individuals were surveyed, the majority of whom (98.9%) were aware of diabetes. Most respondents (85.3%) believed that diabetes can be prevented and correctly identified measures of diabetes prevention. Compared to the previous survey, the level of knowledge regarding risk factors, symptoms and complication of diabetes had improved significantly. Knowledge of diabetes prevention correlated positively with individuals having a higher education level (62.6% vs. 50.8%; p=0.05), higher family income (62.2% vs. 53.5%; p=0.03) and residing in rural settlements (58.6% vs. 25%; p