Diabetes knowledge and attitudes among non-diabetic adults in Iraq: A cross-sectional study of awareness, risk perception, and preventive understanding

Résumé fourni par la source

ObjectiveTo assess diabetes mellitus-related knowledge, attitudes, risk perception, and preventive understanding among non-diabetic adults in Iraq.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used convenience, voluntary sampling to recruit adults aged 18 years or older without a prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus from different regions of Iraq between June and October 2025. Participants completed a culturally adapted questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, diabetes mellitus knowledge, attitudes, information sources, and beliefs regarding prevention. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, quantile regression, and binary logistic regression were used.ResultsThe study included 874 participants. Nearly half (48.4%) reported a family history of diabetes mellitus. Common symptoms, such as frequent urination (89.9%) and excessive thirst (84.2%), were widely known, whereas less obvious symptoms, such as unexpected weight loss, were less well recognized. Awareness of some complications, such as loss of consciousness (94.2%) and amputation (93.8%), was high, while awareness of others, such as kidney damage (69.5%) and eye disorders (78.3%), was moderate. Quantile regression analysis showed significantly lower knowledge scores among participants without a medical background (β = -4.214, p < 0.001). In addition, higher knowledge scores were significantly associated with more positive attitudes toward diabetes mellitus (odds ratio = 1.179, 95% confidence interval: 1.108-1.255, p < 0.001), whereas older age was associated with less favorable attitudes (odds ratio = 0.545, p < 0.001).ConclusionsAdults without diabetes in Iraq demonstrated a good basic understanding of diabetes mellitus; however, important gaps remain in knowledge of symptoms, complications, and key risk factors. These findings highlight the need for practical, evidence-based public health education to support prevention efforts and reduce the future burden of diabetes mellitus.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.