Knowledge and Practices of Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Healthy lifestyle practices can prevent cardiovascular complications among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, but most studies showed that many people ignore these preventive measures. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practices of cardiovascular disease prevention among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).  Methods: The study involved 54 respondents through systematic random sampling. The self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection from February 2020 to March 2020. Findings: The mean age of the respondents was 54.50 ± 15.04 years. The findings revealed that 50% of the respondents had good knowledge while the other 50% had poor knowledge. Half (51.90%) of the respondents had poor practice regarding cardiovascular disease prevention. Factors significantly associated with the level of cardiovascular disease prevention practice were ethnic (p<0.05) and monthly household income (p<0.03). Conclusion: The knowledge of cardiovascular disease among the respondents was average but the practices of a healthy lifestyle to prevent the disease were still inadequate. The study emphasizes the need for more effective educational programs about cardiovascular disease and the recommended healthy lifestyle practices precisely for diabetic patients to keep the complication at bay thus achieving a better quality of life.