Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the level of diabetes knowledge in a representative group of Mexican individuals with diabetes and to identify the factors that influence it.
Methods: A validated questionnaire was administered to 570 outpatients; 11.2% had Type 1 diabetes, 36.4% had Type 2 diabetes treated with insulin, and 52.2% had Type 2 diabetes treated with oral agents. Samples for HbA1c determination also were obtained.
Results: The percentage of correct answers in each section of the questionnaire was low. Type 1 patients had the highest scores, followed by the insulin-treated Type 2 patients; those with chronic complications also had high scores. Educational background, attendance at diabetes courses, age, and HbA1c concentration were the main predictors of knowledge. Attendance at courses was influenced by the severity of the disease.
Conclusions: The amount of patient knowledge about diabetes-related issues was low in this representative Mexican population. The educational efforts were focused on those with the worst metabolic control and/or with diabetes complications.