Association between knowledge and adherence to foot self-care practices performed by diabetics

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem Vol. 73; no. 5; pp. e20190430 - 7
• Main Authors: Batista, Ilaíse Brilhante, Pascoal, Lívia Maia, Gontijo, Paula Vitória Costa, Brito, Paula Dos Santos, Sousa, Maysa Alves de, Santos Neto, Marcelino, Sousa, Maksandra Silva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese; English
• Published: Brazil Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem 2020
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Brazil; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - psychology; Diabetes Mellitus - therapy; Disease management; Female; Foot; Foot diseases; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Knowledge; Male; Middle Aged; Nursing; Patient education; Patients; Podiatry - standards; Podiatry - statistics & numerical data; Primary care; Self Care - methods; Self Care - standards; Self Care - statistics & numerical data; Self-Care; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Adherence and Compliance - psychology; Treatment Adherence and Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Ulcers; Brazil
• ISSN: 0034-7167; 1984-0446
• DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0430

to verify the association between knowledge and adherence to foot self-care practices performed by patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out with 197 patients in basic health units located in the Northeast region of Brazil. For data collection, we used a semi-structured questionnaire that addressed issues inherent to knowledge and Diabetes Self-Care Activities. we observed that patients with moderate knowledge about self-care practices were more likely to perform foot self-examination, dry the interdigital spaces, moisturize their feet with creams and oils, observe the presence of mycosis and ingrown toenail when compared to patients with insufficient knowledge. the patients' level of knowledge was closely related to the self-care activities carried out, which reinforces the importance of nurses working on training those on essential health care.