Awareness, Practices and Treatment Seeking Behavior of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Delhi

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a multisystem disorder that is associated with number of complications. Patient's awareness and practices are crucial components in reducing the burden of diseases and its complications. AIM: To assess patient's knowledge about their disease and its complications, practices, treatment seeking behavior and average expenditure incurred by its management. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural and urban slum areas of Delhi selecting a total of 98 diabetic patients diagnosed during the two community surveys and interviewed using pretested and predesigned questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 17 (Chicago II, USA). Chi-square, fisher or Mann–Whitney tests were used for test of significance and considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 98 participants, 31.6% (31/98) were from urban slum area, and 68.4% (67/98) were from the rural area. In both urban and rural areas, majority were Hindu, married, literate and unemployed. Significantly less subjects (61.3%, 19/31) of urban slum area than of rural area (85.1%, 57/67) could name at least one complication of DM (P < 0.01, odds ratio [OR] =3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.3–9.6). Majority of participants in both urban slum and rural area have knowledge about at least one component of management but significantly lesser in urban (83.9%, 26/31) than rural area (97.0%, 65/67) were reported (P = 0.02, OR = 6.2, 95% CI = 1.1–34.2). Significantly more subjects (29.0%, 9/31) in urban slum area than rural areas (7.5%, 5/67) reported that they were not taking any treatment for DM (P < 0.01, OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1–0.6). In urban area, 32.2% (10/31) patients told that it is a burden on their family while in rural area 44.7% (30/67) of the patients told that they have to squeeze money from the family expenditure to afford drugs. CONCLUSION: Patients need to be made aware of the asymptomatic phase of DM and its long term complications. At the same time, efforts should be made to sensitize them about the importance of taking regular treatment and management.