Abstract
Background:
Prediabetes has been considered to be a reversible condition; a modification of lifestyle and other intervention can be successfully applied during the prediabetes period to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to assess knowledge of prediabetes and its risk factors for the community in the Al-Ahsa region.
Design and method:
A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in the Al-Ahsa region from mid-to-late December 2018. A sample size of 812 was determined using a single-proportion formula.
Results:
Of the 812 respondents who gave consent to participate in the interview; the male to female ratio was 1.1:1. 13.2% of the respondents reported that they had diabetes. Among the respondents, 87.1% had a high level of knowledge of prediabetes, while 12.9% had low-to-moderate knowledge. 84% of males 40 years of age or older, 88.7% (384) of people with university or higher education, and 95.1% (78) of people who worked as health practitioners had high knowledge of prediabetes. Overall, there was a statistically significant association between age and prediabetes knowledge (χ
2
=5.006, p=0.025). Occupation also showed a significant statistical association with prediabetes knowledge (χ
2
=9.85, p=0.02).
Conclusion:
Knowledge is considered an important factor in the prevention of prediabetes and diabetes. People in Al-Ahsa demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding some risk factors for prediabetes. However, there were a number of deficiencies in the knowledge of prediabetes risk factors and preventive measures as well as in general knowledge of prediabetes, which may lead to a high prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes.
Significance for public health
Assessment of the community knowledge about prediabetes will have a significant impact on the control and prevention of type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia and worldwide, especially that Saudi Arabia is one of countries that have high prevalence of diabetes. Modification of lifestyle and other interventions can be applied during the prediabetes period to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, prediabetes knowledge assessment of public is unique and no research has been done about this topic in Saudi Arabia. A comprehensive evaluation of the prediabetes knowledge is required to assess its impacts on the prevention of both prediabetes and diabetes among Saudi communities. Therefore a well designed prediabetes community educational program must be constantly implemented in order to improve the diabetes awareness that lead to diabetes prevention.