Objective: The present study was designed to assess the knowledge and practice among diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital regarding diabeticfoot care.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in government district hospital of Mangalore in the month of January 2014. A pre-designed semistructuredquestionnairewasused tocollectthe informationpertainingtotheknowledgeand practicesofthediabetic patients regardingfootcare.Thecollecteddata wereanalyzedusing Statistical PackagesforSocial Sciences version11.5.The resultsobtained wereexpressedin proportions.Results: A total of 133 subjects were assessed regarding their knowledge and practice regarding diabetic foot care. Around three-fourth (75.2%) ofparticipants had adequate knowledge. More than half (55.5%) of the subjects had adequate practice. No significant association was found betweenstudy variables such as gender, socioeconomic status, and education status with awareness regarding diabetic foot care in the present study (p>0.05).Gender, socioeconomic, and educational statuses were found to be significantly associated with diabetic foot care practices.Conclusion: The gap between knowledge and practice regarding self-care among diabetic patients can be bridged by providing continuous healtheducation by the health workers. Foot care should be promoted at all available opportunities whenever the patient comes in contact with the health system.Keywords: Mangalore, Foot care, Diabetes
