Survey of foot care knowledge and behavioral status among type 2 diabetes patients in a community in Beijing and its influencing factors

Objective To investigate the knowledge and behavioral status of foot care among patients with type 2 diabetes in Xinjiekou Community in Beijing and analyze its influencing factors.

Methods A convenient sampling method was used to select 278 diabetes patients from Xinjiekou Community in Beijing for questionnaire surveys, which included general information, foot care knowledge, and behaviors of the patients.

Results The average score of foot care knowledge among the 278 patients was (71.65±14.59), indicating a moderate level overall. The average score of foot care behavior was (48.83±8.83), indicating a poor level overall. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that gender, duration of diabetes, and whether the patients had received foot care education or not were independent influencing factors for both the foot care knowledge score and the foot care behavior score among community diabetes patients (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that a positive correlation between foot care knowledge and foot care behavior among community diabetes patients was observed(r=0.593, P < 0.001).

Conclusion The level of foocare knowledge among diabetes patients in this community in Beijing is moderate, while the status of foot care behaviors is not optimistic. Community healthcare professionals should strengthen health education on foot care, improve patients' knowledge of foot care and compliance with foot care behaviors, and pay attention to male patients and those with a shorter duration of diabetes to reduce the occurrence of diabetic foot.