Impact of individual counseling on the knowledge and attitudes of type 2 diabetics regarding diabetic retinopathy: The Aditya Jyot Diabetic Retinopathy in Urban Mumbai Slums Study - Report 3.

Purpose: Baseline knowledge and attitudes regarding diabetic retinopathy (DR) have not been previously reported for type 2 diabetes mellitus adults (T2DM) in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Mumbai. Furthermore, a pre- and post-intervention survey study regarding this topic has not been conducted to date in Dharavi. This pre- and post-intervention survey study analyzes the impacts of DR counseling sessions administered individually on the knowledge and attitudes of T2DM participants recruited from Dharavi.

Methods: Potential subjects (>30 years old) from Dharavi were enrolled by community workers and screened for T2DM. Those with confirmed T2DM were each registered for an individual DR counseling session. A survey was distributed to participants before the counseling session to determine their baseline knowledge and attitudes. The same survey was distributed after the counseling session, and changes in pre- and post-survey responses were analyzed.

Results: Exactly 1718 T2DM study participants were given pre- and post-surveys. Before the counseling, T2DM participants showed low baseline knowledge and attitudes regarding DR, with only 30.8% (530/1718) participants being aware that diabetes can affect the eye. Participants showed significant improvements after the counseling session, with more participants showing willingness to attend DR screenings (pre: 38.3.%, post: 56.8%; P < 0.0001) and more becoming aware that diabetes can affect the eye (90.4%, 1553/1718; P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Targeted educational interventions for T2DM individuals from the slums of western India, such as Dharavi, can lead to significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes, representing a promising avenue in tackling the burden of avoidable blindness caused by DR in India.