A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge about Diabetic Complications among General Public in Penang State, Malaysia

Background: The prevalence of diabetes has significantly increased over the past three decades, leading to higher morbidity and mortality primarily due to complications. Aim: This study aimed to assess public knowledge of diabetic complications and examine their association with socio-demographic factors. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Penang, Malaysia, from January to May 2023. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire from 169 participants. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Results: Findings show that most participants (43.2%) were aged 40-65 years, followed by 39.6% aged 21-39 years. Gender distribution was nearly equal, with 50.9% females. Participants demonstrated moderate knowledge, 70.01% according to Bloom’s cutoff, about diabetic complications. The most common diabetic complications were leg amputation (94.8%), eye problems (92.9%), poor wound healing (92.3%), diabetic foot ulcers (91.7%), and muscle weakness (91.1%). Hypoglycemia (28.4%) and sexual dysfunction (26.6%) were the least recognized. Family or friends (95.86%) and media (television/social media) (81.07%) were the primary sources of information. Ordinal logistic regression indicated a significant relationship between educational status and overall knowledge of diabetic complications (p=0.037), suggesting that higher education leads to better awareness. Conclusion: The Majority of participants had moderate knowledge about diabetic complications, and educational status was a significant factor influencing this knowledge. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to improve public awareness, particularly through educational efforts that build on the existing sources of information, like family and media