Perceived knowledge of self care among farmers with diabetes at university of uyo teaching hospital, nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the perceived knowledge of self care among farmers who seek medical attention in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. The specific objectives of the study whereto; describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the farmers, asses level of perceived knowledge about diabetes mellitus and identify level of practice of self care. A sample size of 120 respondents were selected through a convenience sampling procedure from patients who attend clinic in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that a fair proportion (34.20%) of the respondent were aged 40 years and above. It was observed that unexpected weight loss and excessive blood sugar level were some of the perceived knowledge levels of diabetes by the farmers in the study area. Majority of the respondents had good knowledge of diabetics self care in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Chi-square analysis revealed that there was no significant relationship between age and perceived knowledge of self care at 5% level of significance with and x² value of 5.99. The results also showed that diabetic farmers who visit the diabetic clinic in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital have good knowledge of signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus such as unexplained weight loss and excessive urination.