Factors affecting the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: Diabetes mellitus is now one of the most difficult public health issues of the 21st century. It is a metabolic disease that causes high levels of glucose (hyperglycemia) in the blood and stems from problems in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetic patients have a lower quality of life in both rural and urban areas. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the factors affecting the quality of life of diabetics Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. 200 adults with diabetes, including 110 females and 90 males, were randomly selected from patients receiving treatment in Sharqat General Hospital in Salah al-Din Governorate. The participants answered a three-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics, medical characteristics, and quality of life domains prepared based on the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. Five-point scales were used to classify items. Data collection took place between January 1th, 2022 and February 5th, 2022 through the use of an interview. The data was analyzed by applying descriptive statistical analysis that included number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, p-value and anova. Results: When it comes to age groups, the participants were mostly from the age group of 57 years and older (40,5%). The results showed that diabetes was more prevalent in females than in males (55%). The sample comprised almost all married patients (97,5%). As for the education level, a great majority of the participants were primary school graduates (43,5%). About 44% of the samples were housewives. The results also showed that monthly income of the participants was barely sufficient, which was approximately 54% or more than half. In terms of residence place, most of the patients were living in rural areas (61%). The number of family members in the house ranged between 6-10 members (49%). The number of children was mostly 1-2 (46%). The results showed that number of the patients with diabetes of the second type was higher than number of the patients with diabetes of the first type (61%), and the percentage of diabetes diagnosed for a year or more was 90%. While patients who used oral hypoglycemic drugs was 59,5%, those who used insulin was 29,5%. In terms of the presence of chronic diseases, some patients had mostly heart diseases and hypertension, which accounted for 55% of the diseases and more than half of the patients with diabetes had genetic diseases (53%). About 47% of the participants gave the answer "no," that is, there was no genetic disease. When it comes to smoking, the majority of the participants (83,5%) were non-smokers, while 16,5% of them were smokers. All the participants did not consume alcohol (100%). The rate of patients who had a device for measuring blood glucose was 40,5%. The rates of patients who measured their blood glucose daily, weekly, and monthly were 21,5%, 42,5%, and 36%. The results showed that the body mass index of 25-29,9 had the highest percentage (50%). Upon examination, it was determined that the quality of life was at a high level in social relations, (72,86 ± 14,08), while the lowest mean of score was seen in physical domain (4,95 ±12,67). quality of life had a strong correlation with some socio-demographic characteristics (gender, educational level, occupation, monthly income, residence, number of children, type of medication, and presence of chronic diseases). Middle-aged and elderly people were more likely to be obese, the information obtained about the disease was acceptable, but the safety precautions against the disease were poor. At the level of P < 0,05 there was a significant difference between gender, educational level, occupation, monthly income, residence place, and number of children (P = 0,003, 0,019, 0,009, <0,0001, <0,0001, and 0,031). There were a significant difference between type of drug, do you have chronic diseases, If yes, who with P = 0,012, 0,025, and 0,009. Conclusions: This study supported the effect of diabetes on the quality of life of patients in our country. It was also observed that the information obtained about the disease was acceptable, but the safety precautions against the disease were weak.