Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus is a global health issue affecting people of all ages. It is
defined as a non-communicable chronic disease caused by abnormal insulin
production, impaired insulin utilization or both. Its prevalence and
complications is increasing rapidly. The aim of this study was to assess
knowledge of Diabetes mellitus chronic complications among diabetic
patients in the Vhembe district of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The
study objectives were: to assess the knowledge of Diabetes mellitus chronic
complications amongst diabetic patients; to determine the knowledge of
diabetic patients regarding self-care practice, control and management of
diabetes in the Vhembe District, and to identify challenges faced by diabetic
patients regarding chronic complications of Diabetes mellitus in the Vhembe
District
A quantitative descriptive design was used. The study population was
diabetic patients who were visiting the selected 4 hospitals, 2 health centers
and 2 clinics were in Thulamela Municipality. Convenient sampling was used
to sample 259 respondents (184(71%) females and 75(29%) males) and to
select the 8 health care services. A structured, closed-ended selfadministered
questionnaire in Tshivenda was used to collect data on the day
that diabetic patients were coming for follow-up treatment, and after they had
been attended to by the health care providers. Data were analyzed using the
