Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Among Primary Care Physicians in Sudan Regarding Prediabetes: A Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND: Prediabetes is an important stage before diabetes that can be treated with intensive lifestyle changes. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practice of primary care physician in Sudan about prediabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among primary care physicians working at two family and primary health care centers in Khartoum. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as percentages. RESULTS: Out of 200 primary care physicians, 189 completed the questionnaire. 60.8% of the participants had satisfactory knowledge about prediabetes and positive attitude towards prediabetes and their practice was relatively good. Knowledge score was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.000), duration of experience (P value = 0.000), the number of working hours per day (P value = 0.001), and the number patients seen per day (P value = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that attending courses relevant to prediabetes revealed statistically significant result in knowledge, and attending such courses were likely to be associated with gaining sufficient knowledge than those who didn’t by 2 times (P value 0.033, OR 2, CI. 1.063-4.079). CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians in Sudan have satisfactory knowledge, attitude, and practice about prediabetes. As they are in the front line in dealing with community, primary care physicians’ efforts can help in slowing down the epidemic of diabetes in Sudan.