Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Autoimmune Thyroiditis Among Patients in Jilin: A Cross-Sectional Endocrinology Department Study.
- 1Department of Endocrinology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130041, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis (AITD) among patients with AITD in an endocrinology department.Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2024 to September 2025 in the Department of Endocrinology of the authors' hospital. A total of 474 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis were enrolled by convenience sampling. Data were collected using a self-designed, expert-validated structured KAP questionnaire, administered either on site in paper form or online via the Wenjuanxing platform. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding AITD, and scores of at least 70% of the maximum possible score were defined as indicating sufficient knowledge, positive attitudes, or adequate practices, respectively.Results
Among 474 participants, mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 5.79±4.19, 36.15±4.08, and 45.38±10.67, respectively. Higher income, longer disease duration, female gender, urban residence, and marital status correlated with better knowledge and attitudes; smoking, drinking, uncertain family history, and self-employment correlated with lower scores. Knowledge and attitude were independently associated with practice. Structural equation modeling showed that knowledge was significantly and positively associated with both attitude (β=0.451) and practice (β=0.238); attitude was positively associated with practice (β=0.411) and partially mediated the association between knowledge and practice (indirect effect β=0.185; all P<0.001).Conclusion
Patients with AITD followed at the author's Hospital had insufficient knowledge but generally positive attitudes and moderate practice behaviors. Future studies should design and test interventions to improve AITD-related KAP. Interventions that strengthen disease-specific knowledge and address psychological concerns may further reinforce positive attitudes and promote more comprehensive and consistent self-management, thereby potentially improving clinical outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{sun2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Autoimmune Thyroiditis Among Patients in Jilin: A Cross-Sectional Endocrinology Department Study.}},
author = {Yunwei Sun and Yang Yu and Yan Chen},
journal = {Patient preference and adherence},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ppa.s646051},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904124},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Autoimmune Thyroiditis Among Patients in Jilin: A Cross-Sectional Endocrinology Department Study.
AU - Yunwei Sun
AU - Yang Yu
AU - Yan Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Patient preference and adherence
DO - 10.2147/ppa.s646051
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904124
AB - Objectives To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis (AITD) among patients with AITD in an endocrinology department.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2024 to September 2025 in the Department of Endocrinology of the authors' hospital. A total of 474 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis were enrolled by convenience sampling. Data were collected using a self-designed, expert-validated structured KAP questionnaire, administered either on site in paper form or online via the Wenjuanxing platform. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding AITD, and scores of at least 70% of the maximum possible score were defined as indicating sufficient knowledge, positive attitudes, or adequate practices, respectively.Results Among 474 participants, mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 5.79±4.19, 36.15±4.08, and 45.38±10.67, respectively. Higher income, longer disease duration, female gender, urban residence, and marital status correlated with better knowledge and attitudes; smoking, drinking, uncertain family history, and self-employment correlated with lower scores. Knowledge and attitude were independently associated with practice. Structural equation modeling showed that knowledge was significantly and positively associated with both attitude (β=0.451) and practice (β=0.238); attitude was positively associated with practice (β=0.411) and partially mediated the association between knowledge and practice (indirect effect β=0.185; all P<0.001).Conclusion Patients with AITD followed at the author's Hospital had insufficient knowledge but generally positive attitudes and moderate practice behaviors. Future studies should design and test interventions to improve AITD-related KAP. Interventions that strengthen disease-specific knowledge and address psychological concerns may further reinforce positive attitudes and promote more comprehensive and consistent self-management, thereby potentially improving clinical outcomes.
SN - 1177-889X
ER -