Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease of global impact; one in every 14 people has diabetes or most likely will be. This study aimed to identify the level of awareness regarding type 2 DM (T2DM) among the Riyadh population, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh selected from primary health care centers, using self-administered, and a pretested questionnaire was developed after considering the previously published studies and consulting with epidemiological experts. Medical personnel and individuals younger than 18 years old were excluded from the study. The sample size was determined as 300 through a quota sampling
Method. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to generate tables, graphs, and a p-value of 0.05 or less is considered to be significant.
Results: Among the total of 300 respondents, 186 (62%) were male. Almost 40% of respondents had a university level of education. The study revealed that 55.3% had a high level of awareness regarding the risk factors of T2DM. About 37% of participants had a high level of knowledge regarding the complications of T2DM. In comparison, 33% had a low level of awareness regarding complications. There was a significant statistical relationship between the age and level of knowledge regarding the complications of T2DM (p-value = 0.028).
Conclusion: This study concluded that most of the participants had a moderate to a high level of awareness regarding T2DM; there was an association between the age and level of knowledge of DM-2 complications. It is recommended that researchers should investigate the attitude of newly diagnosed diabetics toward lifestyle change.

Key words: Disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, awareness, Riyadh