Abstract:
Foot self-care practices are regarded as fundamental
in prevention of diabetic foot ulcers[2].Globally, it is estimated
that the prevalent cases of persons living with type 2 diabetes
mellitus (DM) were more than 500 million [17]. Patients with
type 2 DM suffer diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), one of the DM
complication most costly to treat and with huge impact on global
health [3]. The purpose of the study was to assess the
determinants of foot self-care practices among patients with type
2 Diabetes Mellitus. This research was a descriptive cross
sectional, conducted among 133 type 2 DM clients who were
selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was
collected using an interviewer administered semi-structured
questionnaire. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 21.
Socio-demographic characteristics such as age of the
respondents (p=0.003), level of education (p=0.006 and monthly
income (p=0.014) significantly influenced foot self-care
practices. 51.2% of the respondents demonstrated low level foot
self-care practice while48.8% demonstrated high level foot care
practice. 61% were found to have low knowledge level while
39% had high level of knowledge on foot self-care. Low level of
knowledge on foot care influenced the practice of foot self-care
among the type 2 DM patients attending out-patient diabetic
clinic at a referral hospital in Meru County. There was a
significant association between knowledge and practice of foot
self-care practice (p=<0.001). Those with high level of
knowledge were 4.3 times more likely to have high level of foot
self-care practice.
