Diabetes knowledge among non-diabetic hypertensive patients in Calabar, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: among hypertensive patients, the comorbidity of diabetes is not uncommon. Yet, little is known about diabetes prevention among non-diabetic hypertensive patients. This study sought to assess such patients' knowledge about diabetes and its risk factors. METHODS: a cross-sectional descriptive study design and random sampling were used to recruit non-diabetic hypertensive patients from University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. A pretested 33-item questionnaire was used to assess various aspects of diabetes knowledge. Participants' alcohol consumption, smoking habits, physical activity, and fresh fruit consumption were also assessed. The p-value was set to 0.05. RESULTS: of 212 respondents with a mean age of 45.5 ± 10.8 years, approximately half (49.1%) had inadequate knowledge of diabetes. Most participants demonstrated poor knowledge of diabetes' clinical features (81.1%) and complications (59.4%), while fewer participants showed poor knowledge of causes and risk factors (24.5%) and diabetes management (40.6%). Older subjects, those in the wards, non-drinkers, physically active people, and those who frequently consumed fresh fruit had a significantly greater understanding of diabetes symptoms and complications (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: hypertensive patients' diabetes knowledge is generally suboptimal, with greater knowledge deficiencies being apparent in specific areas. More strategic health education initiatives are required, about minimizing the risk of developing diabetes comorbidities.