THE KNOWLEDGE OF RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Objective: This study aimed to determine the cardiovascular disease risk factors knowledge level and self-care activities in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between December 2020 and June 2021, using a total of 375 individuals with type 2 diabetes who referred to the Diabetes Polyclinic of a training and research hospital in Istanbul, Turkey and met the study inclusion criteria. Data were collected using a diabetes individual information form, the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Knowledge Level (CARRF-KL) Scale, and the Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire (DSCA) and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 program.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.35 ±12.31 years, and 50.9% of them were women. Their mean score was 14.45 ±6.67 for the CARRF-KL, whereby they had moderate level of knowledge about cardiovascular disease risk factors. In addition, their mean scores were 2.86 ±1.47, 0.35 ±1.17, 2.83 ±2.83 and 3.58 ±3.15 for the DSCA subscales of diet, exercise, blood glucose test and foot care, respectively. Among self-care behaviors, the patients paid most attention to foot care and least attention to exercise. As their knowledge of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases increased, their self-care activities increased significantly (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The cardiovascular disease risk factors knowledge level of individuals with type 2 diabetes was moderate, and as their knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors increased, their self-care activities increased significantly. Therefore, it is recommended to evaluate cardiovascular disease risk factors and self-care activities in individuals with type 2 diabetes at an early stage and to make plans to increase their knowledge levels and self-care activities.