Abstract
Diabetes is a global and local epidemic, with an exponential growth trend in prevalence rates. This article presents data collected through a survey administered to a probabilistic sample of patients enrolled in a diabetes control program within a network of health institutions in Cali, Colombia. The purpose of the survey was to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to diabetes. The survey was designed as part of the quantitative component of a mixed methods macroproject, and the questionnaire was developed based on a review of the literature and the research team’s expertise in the field. The results of the article correspond to the description of the database and combine raw survey data with additional analytical variables derived from grouped response options or recoded items. The data provides a valuable source of information for further research and for decision-makers interested in diabetes risk management. In conclusion, this database enables other broader studies on factors related to adherence to conventional treatments and the use of nonconventional treatments for type 2 diabetes.
Dataset: 10.17632/4wwxz3hfgx.1
Dataset License: CC BY 4.0
1. Summary
Diabetes is an epidemic disease globally, regionally, and locally [1], with the majority of cases corresponding to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), accounting for approximately 90% of cases [2]. It is estimated that approximately 35 million people in Latin America live with this condition, and the number is expected to rise exponentially in the coming years owing to increased life expectancy, sedentary lifestyles, and changes in dietary patterns [2]. T2DM increases healthcare costs at all levels, leads to acute and chronic complications, disability, and premature death and negatively impacts the quality of life of patients and their families [3]. Because T2DM is closely linked to lifestyle, recognizing knowledge, attitudes, and practices and promoting changes in these areas are considered effective strategies for disease prevention and for delaying chronic complications [4]. Good self-care practices and adherence to treatment under the guidance of healthcare professionals remain major public health challenges in T2DM interventions.
The literature review identifies gaps in scientific knowledge regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about T2DM. In Brazil, the study by Martins et al. showed the low prevalence of knowledge and positive attitudes towards T2DM, most participants had low understanding of self-care practices and disease management. Therefore, they did not have a positive attitude toward the expected lifestyle modifications essential for achieving metabolic control; and these findings were also demonstrated in other studies in Latin America [5]. In Honduras, the study by Castro shows that 62% of the population with T2DM is unaware of the cause of their disease, and they also do not know what hypoglycemia is or what the complications of diabetes are [6].
Another study conducted in Ecuador regarding the use of non-conventional medicine for the management of diabetes shows the use of herbal medicine and acupuncture with results of 39% of the patients surveyed opting for these practices due to family customs [7]. The study of social representations of people with T2DM by Andrade, published in 2021 and carried out in Colombia, highlights other relevant aspects of diabetic behavior, such as the importance of education on diabetes control and treatment adherence, and the importance of self-care and family support [8].
This article presents the database obtained from a probabilistic sample of 336 patients with T2DM [9] through a survey administered to patients enrolled in a diabetes control program within a network of health institutions in Cali, Colombia. The purpose of the survey was to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to diabetes. This database is valuable because it contains a set of variables across three domains relevant to diabetes management: knowledge, attitudes, and health practices related to the disease, such as diet, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, use of conventional and nonconventional medicine, etc. Notably, the database is useful for broader studies on factors associated with adherence to conventional and nonconventional treatments, providing a valuable source of information for further research and for decision-makers concerned with diabetes risk management.
2. Data Description
Information on the specific characteristics and access to the database is presented in Table 1.
Table 1.
Specifications table.
The database is subdivided into five sections: (i) Sociodemographic Data, (ii) Knowledge of T2DM, (iii) Attitudes, (iv) Practices related to the disease, and (v) Nonconventional treatments.
2.1. Sociodemographic Data
The database includes nine variables related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents, distributed across a wide range of categories, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2.
Sociodemographic data of participants in the survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients attending the diabetes control program in a network of health institutions in Cali (n = 336).
Additionally, the database includes two variables with open-text responses corresponding to (i) The city of residence, and (ii) The person who supports patients with T2DM.
2.2. Knowledge Data
The knowledge section of the database includes nine variables, and an additional summary variable that classifies the level of knowledge (low, medium, or high). These are described in Table 3.
Table 3.
Knowledge of patients attending the diabetes control program in a network of health institutions in Cali (n = 336).
2.3. Attitude Data
The database in the attitudes section includes five variables, which are described in Table 4.
Table 4.
Attitude of patients attending the diabetes control program in a network of health institutions in Cali (n = 336).
2.4. Practices Data
The practices section of the database includes 12 questions and a summary variable that classifies the frequency level (infrequent or very frequent); these are described in Table 5.
Table 5.
Practices of patients attending the diabetes control program in a network of health institutions in Cali (n = 336).
2.5. Nonconventional Treatment Data
The nonconventional treatment section of the database includes seven questions, which are described in Table 6.
Table 6.
Nonconventional treatment of patients attending the diabetes control program in a network of health institutions in Cali (n = 336).
3. Methods
The database was collected using the framework of a mixed-methods macroproject and constitutes a product of quantitative component with an observational, cross-sectional design, developed using the survey method to explore health-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding T2DM.
The unit of observation for the target population was individuals diagnosed with diabetes (Table 7). The study population consisted of patients who were receiving care or were registered in the database of a network of health institutions in Cali, Colombia. The inclusion criteria for the sampling framework were: Individuals >18 years of age, residing in Colombia, and enrolled in the control program with a diagnosis of T2DM. Exclusion criteria were: Individuals who did not sign the consent form to participate in the study, individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and individuals with T2DM who had comorbidities such as cancer, hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, mental illness, or any severe disability. The CAP Diabetes Study (observational) was designed to describe adults in a primary healthcare program. The majority of these patients are diabetics with manageable underlying hypertension. The most complex patients are referred to another level of care not covered by the study. Exclusion criteria were defined to describe diabetic patients managed in primary care and to capture their attitudes and practices related to diabetes as accurately as possible. That is, other complex pathologies uncommon in primary care are excluded to prevent confounding bias that may arise in attitudes and practices related to other comorbidities.
Table 7.
Population and sample of the KAP survey of patients with diabetes in Cali, Colombia, 2024.
Simple random sampling was used, calculated with 95% confidence and a 4.69% margin of error. For the selection of participants, a random number list was used until reaching a total of 336 individuals.
The data collection instrument consisted of a questionnaire of 43 questions grouped into five sections: Section 1, sociodemographic data; Section 2, knowledge; Section 3, attitudes; Section 4 practices; and Section 5, nonconventional treatment use. The questionnaire was developed through a process that included the review of 15 studies, focusing on Latin American KAP research [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23], and was refined through two pilot tests.
For the knowledge section, validated questions from the Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ) 24 were included. This instrument was originally developed in Spanish by García et al. in 2001 [19] and later adapted to the Peruvian context by Guerrero in 2021 [20]. This module included nine questions related to T2DM, covering aspects such as symptoms, control measures, diet, and conventional and nonconventional medical treatment. This knowledge was classified into three levels: low, medium, and high knowledge. In the attitude section, five questions were established regarding the disease, care actions, lifestyle, and treatment. Finally, in the practice section, questions from the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire (SDSCA) were included as it is one of the most widely used instruments to measure self-care. The instrument was validated for Colombia in a 2015 study conducted in the city of Bogota. The practice questions are related to the self-care of patients with T2DM, and include 12 questions oriented to diet, exercise, alcohol intake and tobacco use. The final section includes questions regarding nonconventional medicine use and disease management.
To ensure the quality of the data collection process, surveyors were previously trained in the characteristics of the survey, the instruments, and the completion of the informed consent form. The survey was administered through face-to-face interviews, using a virtual format for online collection using Google Forms. Patients were selected randomly from the institutional list of the sampling frame and were contacted via telephone and summoned to the health institution near their residence. In addition, as a replacement strategy for those who did not attend the meeting, patients who attended the diabetes program control appointment were interviewed, verifying the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Within the ethical considerations, and according to Colombian resolution 8430 of 4 October 1993, the study is classified in the category of minimal risk (Section 11) given that a survey of individuals was used to collect primary data. The international ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and its updates were also followed, ensuring the autonomy, confidentiality, dignity, rights, and well-being of the participants. Therefore, informed consent was obtained to ensure participants’ autonomy in freely deciding whether to take part in the study, with the document explaining the study objectives, benefits, scope, risks, and their mitigation. Strategies to ensure the confidentiality of the information included the use of codes to protect personal data in the database and storage in a password-protected file accessible only to the researchers. The macroproject that generated the database, entitled “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Patients Attending the Diabetes Risk Control Program in the Red de Salud ESE Norte, Period 2020–2024”, was approved by the ethics committee of the Network of Health Institutions (Act No. 03, 7 June 2024) and the endorsement of the Research Directorate of the University where the researchers are affiliated (No. 094/2024 of 4 July 2024).
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, J.G.-F. and G.A.T.-I.; methodology, J.G.-F. and G.A.T.-I.; formal analysis, L.F.R.-O.; writing—original draft preparation, N.A.-R.; writing—review and editing, N.A.-R. and L.F.R.-O. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research has been funded by Dirección General de Investigaciones of Universidad Santiago de Cali, and Red de Salud del Norte ESE.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The macroproject that generated the database, entitled “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Patients Attending the Diabetes Risk Control Program in the Red de Salud ESE Norte, Period 2020–2024,” obtained the approval of the Ethics Committee of the ESE Norte (Act No.03, 7 June 2024) and the endorsement of the Research Directorate of the University where the investigators are assigned (No. 094/2024 of 4 July 2024).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The original data presented in the study are openly available at https://doi.org/10.17632/4wwxz3hfgx.1.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the following students (Faculty of Health, Universidad Santiago de Cali medical program) who participated in the interviews for the collection of the survey data: Balanta Valencia Delfi, Calderón Cortes Gabriela, and Santibañez Alvarez Miguel.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Abbreviations
| KAP | Knowledge, attitudes, and practices |
| T2DM | Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. |
| DKQ | Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire |
| SDSCA | Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire |
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