| Summary: | <p class="Default"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Diabetes foot complications are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Many presents with complicated foot ulcers which end up with amputations. Early interventions and health education significantly reduce such problems.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess the current knowledge on foot care and footwear, to identify the undiagnosed foot problems and risk factors.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Methods: </strong>In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 334 patients were evaluated for knowledge on foot care and footwear practices by administering 3 questionnaires.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Results: </strong>The majority were females (73.1%). Mean duration of diabetes was 10.73(+/- 6.9) years. Most patients were non-smokers (78.8%) and non-alcoholics (84.8%). Major comorbidity was dyslipidemia (74.95%). Mean FBS and HbA1c were 137.7mg/dl (+/-43.29) and 7.66% (+/-0.78) respectively. Majority (64%) of them were within moderate risk for diabetic foot disease and 24% had history of foot ulcers. Deformed, thickened and discoloured nails were seen among 42.2%, 38% and 28.7% respectively. Peripheral neuropathy present in 35.6%. Even though 79.8% of the participants washed and 45.8% examined their feet daily, poor foot hygiene was seen among 44.9%. The majority used unsuitable footwear (70.7%). Only 9.6% wore special footwear for diabetes. Most denied adequate knowledge on footwear (80.5%). Nearly half (50.9%) of the population used footwear for > 1 year and 79.3% were not inspecting footwear. Increased age and duration of diabetes, low education, history of foot ulcer, smoking, thickened nails, calluses were significantly associated with diabetic foot (p<0.01). Abnormal monofilament and vibration were predictors of diabetic foot disease (p<0.01).</p><p class="Default"><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlighted the gaps in the knowledge and practices of foot care and footwear among diabetic patients. Thus, there is a need to enhance patients’ knowledge with a regular assessment to enforce healthy practices to minimize diabetic foot complications.</p>
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