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OBJECTIVE:

To determine the knowledge, beliefs, practices, blood pressure and blood glucose control among women with diabetes mellitus attending a specialist medical clinic.

METHOD:

A 43-item pre-tested questionnaire was administered to a purposive sample of 28 (26.4 percent) of women attending the University Hospital of the West Indies Diabetes Clinic in May/June 2001. Weight (wt), height (ht), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and two hour post-prandial blood glucose (2hpp), diet and activity were recorded. Body mass index (BMI, wt/ht2) was calculated.

RESULTS:

Median age of 57 years, range, 21-85 years; median time since diagnosis was 14.5 years, range, 0.5-51 years. Only 27 percent of patients had BP controlled to ó135/85 mm/Hg. There was an association between systolic BP and BMI (r= 0.43, p< 0.05). The majority of the patients were inactive, overweight or obese median BMI, 30.3 kg/m2. The majority did not follow a diabetic diet and had no recent contact with a dietitian. There was an association between reported intake of sucrose and 2hpp (r= 0.75, p< 0.001). The majority (82 percent) did not take alcohol; 14 percent smoked cigarettes. Only 28.6 percent were controlled to FBG ó 8 mmol/l and 2 hpp ó10 mmol/l. Sixty-seven percent of the patients were on insulin; 21.3 percent used a glucometer. Medications were missed a median of two days per month. There were inverse associations between years since diagnosis and number of days per month that medications were missed (r=-0.39, p< 0.05) and knowledge scores and age (r=-0.47, p< 0.01). There were associations between knowledge, practice and …