Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the diabetes knowledge test among in-patients with type 2 diabetes

Aims/Introduction The diabetes knowledge test (DKT) is unavailable in Japan. In this study, we developed and evaluated a Japanese version of the DKT (J-DKT) for in-patients with type 2 diabetes before and after receiving diabetes education. Materials and Methods The J-DKT contains 12 questions (0-12 points) to assess knowledge regarding diabetes, its complications, and diabetic nutrition therapy. During the median 10 days of hospitalization, 107 patients with type 2 diabetes received diabetes education (20 min private lessons every day from physicians, two nutrition counselling programs from dietitians, and a 2 h group session conducted by physicians, dietitians, and nurses). The J-DKT was administered on admission and before discharge. To confirm the J-DKT's reliability, we assessed the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha (>= 0.70 was considered acceptable). To evaluate its validity, we investigated changes in the J-DKT total scores after the education programs and examined the differences in the scores among groups classified based on patient characteristics such as age, diabetes-related hospitalization history, and hospitalization duration. Results The J-DKT total scores increased from 5 to 8 (P < 0.01) after the education programs. The J-DKT before and after the program showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.48 and 0.73, respectively. Except for age, baseline characteristics such as history and period of hospitalization for diabetes were not associated with the J-DKT scores after the education program. Conclusions The validity and reliability of the J-DKT after the diabetes education program were acceptable in this study.