Background:
Diabetes mellitus is one of the top 10 causes of death globally. Nutrition is an integral part of diabetes management. Improved dietary quality is associated with better glycemic control. vitamins A, C, D, E, and B-vitamins are necessary for glycemic control.
Aim of the study:
To assess physician's knowledge and practice regarding vitamin supplementations for diabetic children in Port Said government.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted including 353 Physicians who care for diabetic children in healthcare facilities in Port Said governorate. Data collection was done between November 2023 and May 2024 using a pre-designed structured questionnaire that was developed by researchers asking about knowledge and practice about vitamin supplementation for diabetic children.
Results:
The study revealed that physicians demonstrated the highest level of good knowledge about Vitamin B (75.4%). This was followed by Vitamin C and A (66.2% and 63.7%, respectively). Most physicians (72.3%) have good knowledge about vitamin supplementations and their roles for diabetic children. However, prescribing vitamins was practiced only if needed, except for vitamin B as 46.7% of them were used to prescribe it regularly. Results show that age, having children, specialty, and higher years of experience were the significant independent predictors of higher knowledge (p<0.001)
Conclusion:
This study showed high knowledge levels among physicians in Port Said hospitals with a positive correlation between the years of experience and knowledge. Public health policies and training programs are necessary to establish standardized guidelines for effective supplementation practices.
Key words: diabetes mellitus, knowledge, practice, vitamins.