Abstract:
Energy intake in excess of the requirement and physical inactivity are resulting in over
weight and obesity, which are the major driving forces behind escalating type-2 diabetes
epidemics worldwide. This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding weight
management through lifestyle modification and assess the relationship between socio
demographic factors associated with knowledge among overweight and obese type 2
diabetic patients attending the Diabetic clinic at the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. The study
was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study that was carried out among 414
patients. Data were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Data
were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Chi-squire test was used to determine the factors
affecting the knowledge. Study participants' age range was from 27-81years and the
mean age was 56.1. Among the study participants, 28.3% were overweight and 71.7%
were obese. Most of them were females (74.6%). Only 2.4% of the participants knew the
healthy BMI range for Sri Lankans. Only 13.8% of the participants knew whether they
were obese or overweight. Most of the participants knew that excess calorie intake
(77.8%), physical inactivity (99.8%), and family history (88.4%) were the causes of
overweight and obesity. The majority of the participants stated that following a proper
diet (100%) and doing regular exercises were healthy ways to maintain ideal body
weight. Nearly 25.6%, 18.4% of the participants correctly said the minimal duration to
perform an exercise in a day for overweight, obese person respectively. Most of the
participants (81.2%) had good knowledge of weight management through lifestyle
modifications. However further studies should be done to assess their practice pattern.
