Assessing the knowledge of osteoporosis in clients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the Ulaanbaatar referral hospital

Abstract

Aim: We assessed the knowledge level of osteoporosis in Mongolian women who are diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: This study was conducted by cross-sectional method and included 369 participants aged from 20 to 65 who have T2DM. The questionnaire was conducted from July 2021 to November 2021 period. Defining knowledge as an osteoporosis knowledge assessment tool (OKAT), indicators are as follows: good score≥20; moderate score 14-19 and poor score ≤1-13. Results: 72.1 percent of the respondents were women over 50 years old, 79.1 percent have secondary and higher education, 73.4 percent are unemployed, 80.8 percent live in apartments and 85.9 percent were married. 50.1 percent of respondents were diagnosed with diabetes for up to 5 years, 25.8 percent for 6-10 years, and 24.1 percent for more than 11 years. About 30 percent of women with diabetes have co-morbid conditions, with the majority taking antihypertensive drugs (72.6 percent), 55.8 percent taking antidiabetic drugs, and 36 percent receiving insulin therapy. Of the study participants, 11.1 percent smoked, 10.6 percent consumed alcohol, 31.4 percent did not exercise, 82.6 percent ate salty foods, and 53.7 percent drank salty tea. Findings suggest that participants’ knowledge on osteoporosis is insufÏcient, or 69.4 percent had poor knowledge and 29.3 percent had moderate knowledge. In addition, the level of knowledge in participants with co-morbidities of eyes and rheumatoid arthritis was statistically high (p<0.05). However, the duration of diabetes (years) was insignificant. Conclusion: 1. Among women diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus, knowledge on osteoporosis is clearly insufÏcient (p=0.6). 2. There is a critical need to educate patients with diabetes on osteoporosis, importance of exercise and calcium intake.