Descriptive analysis:
Patient demographic characteristics:
The sample in our study consisted of 249 patients, 3 patients, 1% of whom reported a history of diabetic foot, while the remaining 246 patients did not mention a history of diabetic foot, with a rate of 99%. 228 patients were among the clinic visitors with a rate of 92%, and 18 patients were among the patients from outside the hospital at a rate of 7%, and finally there were 3 patients who were admitted to the hospital at a rate of 1%.
135 patients were males, with a rate of 54%, while the remaining 114 patients were females, with a rate of 46%.
The average age of the patients was 54.19 years with a standard deviation of 11.97 years, where the youngest age among the patients was 18 years, while the oldest age among the patients was 81 years.
The largest number of patients residing in the city of Damascus, where their number reached 124 patients, or 50%, came in the second place, patients residing in the Damascus countryside, where their number reached 76 patients, or 31%, and the rest of the patients were distributed among the various remaining Syrian governorates. Of these patients, 130 patients were from urban areas with a rate of 52%, while the population from rural areas was 119 patients with a rate of 48%.
When asked about the social status of the patients, the largest number of them were married, with a total of 221 patients (89%), 16 patients were single (6%), and 12 patients were widows (5%).
47 patients were cigarette smokers with a rate of 19%, while 8 patients were hookah smokers with a rate of 3%, and there were 14 patients who had stopped smoking for a period of time, while the remaining 182 patients were not smokers with a rate of 73%.
The sample is distributed according to the educational level:
When asked about the educational level of the patients, 35 patients were uneducated at a rate of 14%. As for the patients who reached the primary, intermediate and secondary levels, their number reached 61, 65, and 41 patients, at a rate of 24%, 26%, and 16%, respectively. As for the patients who reached the university level, their number 37 patients, with a rate of 15%, and 4 patients reached the master’s level, with a rate of only 2%.
The sample is distributed according to the economic level:
Patients were classified according to their economic level into three groups: good, medium, and low.
The economic level of 69 patients was low, with a rate of 28%, while the largest number of patients, 172 patients, had an average economic level of 69%, while the rest of the patients had a good economic level of only 3%.
General questions about diabetes:
23 patients had type 1 diabetes, with a rate of 9%, while 159 patients had type 2 diabetes, with a rate of 64%, and 67 patients did not know what type of diabetes they had, with a rate of 27%.
The average incidence of these patients with diabetes was 11.53 years, with a standard deviation of 8.64 years, as the least duration of diabetes was only one year ago, while the longest period that patients suffered from diabetes was 40 years.
When asked about doing the calibration of hemoglobin on a regular basis, that is, at a rate of once every 3 months, only 64 patients answered yes, at a rate of 26%, while the remaining 185 patients did not do so, at a rate of 74%.
Also, there were only 52 patients who monitored their daily blood sugar levels by 21%, while the rest of the 197 patients did not do so by 79%. In the same context, the patients were asked about the presence of a home device to measure their blood sugar, and 77 patients answered yes, with a percentage of 31. %, while the other percentage of patients, which constituted 69%, did not have this device.
When asked about the existence of a family history of diabetes, 149 patients answered yes, with a rate of 60%, while the rest of the patients did not have a family history of this disease, at a rate of 40%. Of these patients, 56 patients were found to have a family history of death due to diabetes, with a rate of 22%.
Complications of diabetes:
Patients were asked if they had complications following diabetes, and the answer was classified as yes, no, I don't know. High triglycerides were found in 108 patients with a rate of 43%, and atherosclerosis was found in 31 patients with a rate of 12%, and there were 15 patients who had suffered Of convulsions or suffered from neurological damage due to diabetes by 6%, and depression and mental disorders were found as a complication of diabetes in 27 patients by 11%.
As for the ocular complications of diabetes, such as cataracts, glaucoma, optic nerve diseases, retinal diseases, and vascular eye diseases, 39, 10, 6, 51, and 14 of these complications suffered from them, with a rate of 16%, 4%, 2%, 20%, and 6% respectively. respectively. As for complications in the musculoskeletal system, 68 patients suffered from muscular weakness and difficulty walking as a complication of diabetes at a rate of 27%, while 31 patients suffered from ulcers of the feet as a complication of this disease at a rate of 12%.
Comorbidities and medications:
It was found that most of the 164 patients (66%) did not have any other additional disease. With a percentage of (76%), the patients indicated “yes” for taking diabetes-regulating drugs, and similarly, with a percentage of (55%) for oral diabetes-lowering drugs, while most patients (63%) answered “no” to the question of their use of insulin.
Knowledge Section about Diabetic Foot:
Most of the patients agreed to answer “yes” to several items within the section, the most important of which are: (79%) for diabetic foot ulcers, (84%) for the importance of examining the feet and taking care of wounds and infections. Similar to the previous percentage, it was answered that taking medications regularly reduces the complications of diabetes, with a percentage of (84%) that gangrene in the foot is one of the complications of the diabetic foot, and also with a similar percentage that exercise will help prevent diabetic foot.
Department of Behavior towards Diabetic Foot:
Most of the participants indicated “yes” to several items indicating their commitment to several behaviors related to the prevention of diabetic foot. A percentage of (63%) constituted an important percentage for three items. Especially, and thirdly, to wear special shoes inside the house. As for the question about the possibility of living a normal life while taking the appropriate measures for diabetes, the response rate was close, with a yes (51%) and a no (49%).
Department of health practices towards the diabetic foot:
It was found that most of the patients had good health practices towards the diabetic foot. The percentage of patients who examine the feet on a daily basis was (64%). Also, there were 219 patients who answered “no” when asked to walk barefoot outside the house, so their percentage reached (88%). It was found that (33%) of the patients do not wear cotton socks for diabetics.
Studying the relationship between knowledge and demographic variables:
The relationship between knowledge about diabetic foot and demographic variables was studied. It was found that there are values of significant statistical significance with several variables, the most important of which is the level of education. Standard of knowledge 9.27 (± 2.65). Also, there was a significant statistical significance for the variable (daily follow-up blood glucose measurement) 0.0089 P < value, with an average knowledge standard of 9.61 (± 2.62) for patients who answered yes. While we did not find any significant value in the study of this relationship with the variable of sex, place of residence, economic level, and several other variables
Studying the relationship between behavior and demographic variables:
The relationship between behavior towards diabetic foot and demographic variables was calculated. It was found that there is a significant relationship between the place of residence and the behavior of patients towards the diabetic foot, and it resulted in a statistically significant value, where the value was P value < 0.0001, where the average standard of behavior for patients residing in rural areas was 3.42 (± 1.52), which is higher than it is for residents of the city. It was also found that P value < 0.0036 in the educational level variable, where the highest average of the behavior standard among patients with primary education was 3.62 (± 1.46), who constituted (24%). Also, the ratio of 3.65 (± 1.40) indicated the average behavior standard for patients who answered “yes” to the regular calibration of hemoglobin, and the P value was also statistically significant. Likewise, the average standard of behavior was high for patients who answered “yes” to the question variable about having a family member with diabetes, so the average value was 3.26 (± 1.53), and the P value was also statistically significant. Also, there was a statistically significant percentage for the variable of the question about the existence of a family death story due to diabetes, and it represented the average behavior standard for patients who answered yes, with a rate of 3.82 (± 1.28). Also, there were significant statistical values in several other variables, and at the same time there were variables that did not have any statistical significance.
Studying the relationship between practice and demographic variables:
In a similar way, the relationship between the practice of diabetic foot and the patients' demographic variables was calculated. Several significant and statistically significant relationships were also found, including in the question variable about the type of diabetes, P value < 0.0001, so the average practice standard for patients who answered that they had type 1 diabetes was 9.13 (± 3.40). In a similar way, there was also a significant statistical value for the variable of doing follow-up daily blood sugar measurement and the average form of the practice standard for patients who answered yes, 10.61 (± 3.83). And the variable of owning a home device to measure glucose had a significant statistical value, as P value < 0.0001.