title: Socioeconomic profile of diabetic patients with and without foot problems.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To identify the differences in a socioeconomic profile between two cohorts of diabetic patients - one with diabetic foot problems and another without diabetic foot problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort with diabetic foot problems (including cellulitis, abscess, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, gangrene, ulcers, or Charcot joint disease) consisted of 122 diabetic patients, while the other cohort without foot problems consisted of 112 diabetic patients. Both were seen at the National University Hospital from January to April 2007. A detailed protocol was designed and the factors studied included patient profile, average monthly household income, education, compliance to diabetic medication, attendance at clinics for diabetic treatment, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, gender, and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1(C)) level. These were studied for significant differences using univariate and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With multivariate analysis, Malay ethnicity (p<0.001), education of up to secondary school only (p=0.021), low average monthly household income of less than SGD $2,000 (p=0.030), lack of exercise (at least once a week, p=0.04), and elevated HbA1(C) level (>7.0%; p=0.015) were found to be significantly higher in the cohort with diabetic foot problems than the cohort without.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are significant differences in the socioeconomic factors between diabetic patients with diabetic foot problems and those without.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nather
authors.forename: Chionh
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Siok Bee
authors.forename: Wong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Keng Lin
authors.forename: Koh Si
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Qi Odelia
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yiong Huak
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xinyi
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nambiar