Diabetic Foot Care: Assessing the Knowledge and Practices of Diabetic Patients at Aldaraga Centre, Gezira State, Sudan, 2021

Figures & data

Table 1 The Demographic Distribution of Participants

Group	Categories	Frequency (N-100)	%
Sex	Male	38	38.0
	Female	62	62.0
Age	20–30 years	18	18.0
	31–40 years	16	16.0
	41 years and more	66	66.0
Educational level	Illiterate	26	26.0
	Primary	20	20.0
	Secondary	14	14.0
	Graduate	18	18.0
	Postgraduate	22	22.0
Marital status	Married	82	82.0
	Unmarried	16	16.0
	Widow	2	2.0
Income level	Low	16	16.0
	Moderate	76	76.0
	High	8	8.0

Table 2 Distribution of Respondents by Degree of Duration

Duration of Diabetes	Frequency (N-100)	%
Less than one year	24	24.0
1–5 years	45	45.0
5–10 years	8	8.0
Greater than10 years	23	23.0

Table 3 Respondent’s Knowledge About the Definition of Diabetes Mellitus and Sources of Information

Factor	Criteria	Frequency(N-100)	%
Definition of diabetes	Malfunction of pancreas and insulin secretion	20	20.0
	Increase of sugar In the blood	40	40.0
	Increase of sugar in blood/ increase in urination	4	4.0
	Fatigue/dehydration	2	2.0
	It chronic disease	4	4.0
	Do not know	30	30.0
Source of information	Health education	30	30.0
	Radio and TV.	54	54.0
	Newspapers.	6	6.0
	All the above	10	10.0

Table 4 Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Diabetes

Factor	Causes and Symptoms	Frequent	%
Causes of diabetes	Hereditary	52	52.0
	Life style	64	64.0
	Some drugs	18	18.0
	Some viral infections	22	22.0
Signs and Symptoms	Frequent urination	70	70.0
	Frequent thirst	88	88.0
	Extreme hunger	60	60.0
	Loss of weight	48	48.0

Table 5 Diabetes Treatments and Complications

	Treatment and Complications	Frequency(N=100)	Per cent
Diabetes treatment	Oral pills	74	74.0
	Insulin injection	20	20.0
	Herbal	6	6.0
Diabetes complication	Cardiovascular	46	46.0
	Myocardial infarction	42	42.0
	Renal diseases	38	38.0
	Retinal diseases	70	70.0
	CNS diseases	28	28.0
	Gangrene	10	10.0
	Do not know	10	10.0

Table 6 Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia

Category	Sign and Symptoms	Frequency(N=100)	%
Hypoglycemia	Shiver	28	28.0
	Dizziness	30	30.0
	Fatigue	28	28.0
	Hunger	12	12.0
	Rapid heart/ sweating	30	30.0
	Do not know	26	26.0
Hyperglycemia	(Dizziness)	54	54.0
	Rapid heartbeat	32	32.0
	Urination	10	10.0
	Sweating	12	12.0
	Thirst	10	10.0
	Hunger	14	14.0
	Numbness	20	20.0
	Do not know	26	26.0

Table 7 Definition and Causes of Diabetes Gangrene

	Categories	Frequency(N=100)	%
Definitions	Slow-healing wound due to diabetes	32	32
	Limbs Swelling due to poor circulation	10	10
	Do not know	58	58
Causes of diabetes Gangrene	Limbs numbness	12	12
	Poor circulation	20	20
	Limbs numbness and poor circulation	18	18
	Do not know	50	50

Table 8 Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention Methods Knowledge of Diabetes of Gangrene

Factor	Symptoms and Prevention	Frequency(N-100)	%
Gangrene symptoms	Swelling and redness	26	26.0
	Smelling pus	12	12.0
	All the above answers	20	20.0
	Do not know	42	42.0
Methods of prevention	Patients education	22	22.0
	Feet care and comfortable shoes	14	14.0
	Taking treatment with the proper methods	14	14.0
	All the above-mentioned	32	32.0
	Do not know	18	18.0

Table 9 Knowledge About the Importance of Regular Follow-Up and Diabetes Treatment to Avoid Complications

Indicator	Knowledge		Practice
	No	Yes	No	Yes
1. Use warm water for foot washing	90%	10%	84%	16%
2. Checking water temperature before using	40%	60%	58%	42%
3. Drying feet after washing	78%	22%	84%	16%
4. Talcum powder usage for keeping feet dry	90%	10%	90%	10%
5. Keeping the skin of feet soft to prevent dryness	56%	44%	79%	21%
6. Daily change of socks	60%	40%	66%	34%
7. Lotion not to be applied the inter-digital spaces	80%	20%	80%	20%
8. Trimming nails of feet straight with care	38%	62%	56%	44%
9. Inspection of feet once daily by respondents	66%	34%	78%	22%
10. Wearing comfortable coated shoes	43%	58%	73%	27%
11. Checking the shoes from the inside before wearing	68%	32%	86%	14%
12. Not walking with bare feet	14%	86%	40%	60%
13. Warning signs for which consultation is required	48%	52%	62%	38%

Table 10 Assessment of Diabetes Patient’s Knowledge and Practice Regarding Foot Care

It is Essential to Have Regular Follow-Up	Frequency(N=100)	Per cent
Yes	88	88.0
No	12	12.0
Importance of treatment	Frequency	Per cent
Yes	84	84.0
No	16	16.0