Assessment of the perceived impact of diabetes on quality of life in a group of South African diabetic patients

• Main Author: Katzenellenbogen, Leanne
• Other Authors: Blaauw, Rene
• Language: en
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2008
• Subjects: Diabetes in South Africa; Type 2 diabetes; QOL of diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Dissertations > Nutrition; Theses > Nutrition
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2868

Thesis (MNutr (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Human Nutrition))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. === OBJECTIVES: To determine perceived Quality of Life (QOL) of the diabetic patient and to assess whether QOL is associated with diabetes-related markers. DESIGN: This was a descriptive cross sectional study. SETTING: A multiethnic group of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients (n= 68) attending a diabetic clinic in Alberton, South Africa, were evaluated. SUBJECTS OUTCOME MEASURES: QOL was assessed by means of the Audit of Diabetes-Dependant Quality of Life (ADDQoL) questionnaire. Glycaemic control, duration of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), type of DM, diabetic complications, level of education and nutritional status were evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety eight percent of diabetic patients perceived their DM to impact negatively on their QOL (p=0.03). QOL and glycaemic control were significantly (p=0.03) related. QOL and the duration (p=0.80) or type (p=0.77) of DM were not significantly related. QOL ratings were lower in participants who had hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, whereas this trend was not present in those with microvascular complications. There was a trend towards a negative relationship between QOL and weight (p=0.10), BMI (p=0.10) and WC (p=0.41). All 13 individual life domains were significantly related (p < 0.05) to QOL for the group as a whole. Rankings of individual life domains differed between type 1 and type 2 diabetics (p<0.05) as well as between black and white subjects (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that DM impacts on various aspects of QOL and that various population sub-groups perceive their DM to impact differently on their QOL. QOL assessments should therefore form part of DM management and should be culturally sensitive.