Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak in Healthcare of People with Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective The aim was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the health care of type 2 diabetes patients and identify the correlated factors. Research Design and Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2020 to February 2021. The study enrolled 400 adults with type 2 diabetes aged 40–65 with at least one other chronic illness receiving health services in primary care in Vlore, Albania. A short questionnaire based on literature, taking into account the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, was used for the data collection. The administration of the questionnaire was done by trained nurses. All participants gave their written informed consent before administering the questionnaire. Two-tailed Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to test the correlations.  Results                                                                                Among 400 patients with type 2 diabetes in the study, 53.0% were female and 47.0% were men. Most of the participants were married (n = 303) with a high level of education (54.3%). Treatment was mainly with oral medications (58.0%). Based on body mass index, 63.0% of participants were overweight. Employment status (p = 003), the type of treatment, oral medication vs insulin (p = 001), body mass index (p = 001), and living alone (p = 008) were the more correlated factors.  Conclusions Care of type 2 diabetic patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic is closely associated with social determinants of health and the resources of healthcare settings. The need to address innovative approaches to care including self-care, social support, and e-health is recommended.