Association of diabetes knowledge and self-care practices with glycemic control among adults with type 2 diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu, India

Patient education and awareness are critical for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, particularly in rural settings with limited healthcare access. We therefore conducted this study at a secondary care hospital in rural Tamil Nadu, India, with the primary objective of assessing baseline knowledge of patients with type 2 diabetes, self-care practices, and glycemic control. The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with satisfactory glycemic control, poor knowledge of diabetes, and inadequate self-care practices. A cross-sectional observational study in 130 patients was conducted. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ) and Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) were used to evaluate patient knowledge and self-care behaviors. Glycemic control was assessed using hemoglobin A1C, fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels. Only 33.1% of patients achieved satisfactory glycemic control. Key factors included age (> 55 years), duration of disease (< 10 years) and good self-management and care (DSMQ score ≥ 5). Poor diabetes knowledge (DKQ < 12) was linked to low socioeconomic status and longer disease duration. A low DKQ score (DKQ < 12) and gender were associated with poor self-management. Older age, shorter disease duration, and good self-care practices are associated with better glycemic outcomes, while lower socioeconomic status and longer disease duration were linked to poor diabetic knowledge. Although diabetes knowledge influenced self-care behaviors, it did not directly correlate with glycemic control, highlighting the necessity of both patient education and translating knowledge into actionable practices.