Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus among Selected Malaysian Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s):Redhwan A Al-Naggar, Muhamed T Osman, Nurhuda Ismail, Zaliha Ismail, Nor Aini Mohd Noor, Nik Shamsidah binti Nik Ibrahim, Aimi Nadira Mat Ruzlin, and Mohamad Ikhsan Bin Selamat

them in Malaysia. However, the prevalence of diabetes in Malaysia is very high but there is a lack of information in the management of diabetes. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitude to diabetes mellitus and the relevant associated factors among Malaysian population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among selected Malaysian population. Inclusion criteria were ‘aged above 18 years old’ and ‘are able to understand Malay language’. Data was entered into SPSS version 22.0 and analysed and Independent t-test, ANOVA and Correlations was used. The level of statistical significant was set as p<0.05. Results: A total of 316 respondents participated in this study. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 10.8%. Majority of respondents was male (53.5%), Malay (85.8%), married (66.1%), had tertiary education (52.2%), and moderate socioeconomic status. There is a belief that traditional medicine is better than clinical treatment among the community. There were significant differences of knowledge between ethnicities (p=0.012) and marital status (p=0.011). Meanwhile there were significant mean differences of attitude score between ethnicities (p<0.001), and household incomes (p=0.03). Conclusions: There was a good score of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards diabetes mellitus. However, misconception on traditional medicine used need to be emphasised while consulting patients in primary health care facilities in the country.

• PDF