Foot care knowledge, attitudes and practices among patients with diabetic foot and amputation in St. Kitts and Nevis

About one-third of admissions to the surgical unit annually are diabetes foot infections in need of amputation In St. Kitts and Nevis. However, the risk factors related to diabetes foot and amputation remain unknown. This study investigated factors associated with diabetic foot and amputation (DFA). Retrospective case control study design, and purposive and quota sampling method was used to recruit the participants. Patients with and without DFA were interviewed at two main hospitals, several primary health centres, and a private doctor's office during July and August 2018. Self-development questionnaires were applied to assess patients' demographic, physical and behaviour, foot care knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to DFA. Chi-square,t-test, and multiple logistic regressions were used to analyse the data. A total of 210 patients were evaluated, 89 had DFA, while 121 did not, with a mean age of 61.10 (SD = 11.85). Participants' responses indicated good knowledge, favourable attitudes, and adequate practices related to foot care. The two items of the questionnaire, ways to maintain blood flow in the lower extremities and wash their feet daily, had significant lower score in DFA group. In multiple logistic regression, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to foot care were not a significant predictor of DFA. Being male was a predictor of DFA than female (OR = 3.53; 95% CI = 1.65-7.57;P < .01). Participants who were currently unemployed were less likely to have DFA than those who were employed (OR = 0.38; 95% Cl = 0.17-0.86;P < .05). Comparing patients with the longest experience of diabetes mellitus (31 years or more) with those who had diabetes for the shortest period of time (between 1 and 10 years) was less likely to have DFA (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.15-0.97; P= <.05). The combination of these independent variables could explain 29% of the variance in DFA. Based on these findings, strategies to prevent diabetic foot and amputation should focus on male and outdoor heavy worker, and longer duration of diabetes patients which are identified in this study.