Assessment of health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus at Moi County referral hospital, Taita Taveta county

Abstract

AbstractHealth-related quality of life is one’s perceived status of life in value systems and cultural settings where they dwell in and in relation to their aspirations, expectations, ideals and fears. Diabetes has always been seen as a disease of affluence but over the years it is increasingly becoming a problem in developing countries. Globally, approximately 1.5 million deaths that occurred in 2012 due to diabetes, 80% of the deaths occurred in the developing nations. There is an increasing problem of non-transmittable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa region which has brought a change in lifestyles like smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Such non-communicable diseases include cardiovascular diseases, neuropathies & renal disorders which are commonly associated as the complications for diabetes mellitus. Measuring the extent an illness has affected health is of significance to the care and management of those individuals with chronic diseases whose remedy is not likely and since they require long-term management and care. Quality of life has a multivariate approach as it highlights information on bodily health, emotional health, functional and social health spheres of an individual’s view of the extent their health has been affected. This measure, therefore, provides holistic care for an individual with diabetes mellitus. This study seeks to solely look at how the wellness of individuals with diabetes mellitus is affected. The research adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. 165 respondents were selected through systematic random sampling. The researcher used logistic regression whereby patient’s characteristics like foot problem (aOR7.348; p=0.005) and numbness/pain in hands/legs/feet (aOR=0.155; p<0.001) were associated with low quality of life. Over half of the study participants 127 (77%) indicated that their health-related quality of life would be better without diabetes mellitus as depicted by a diabetes specific QoL mean score of-1.88 approximating to “much better” (−2). The overall mean ADDQoL AWI score (−4.48) indicated that the health-related quality of life of the patients was negatively impaired by type two diabetes mellitus. Among the 19 domain specific items, the study participants rated “sex life” as the most negatively impacted/ important (WI= -5.14). In conclusion, type two diabetes mellitus negatively affected the quality of life and diabetes neuropathy which featured as foot problem and numbness of hands/feet needs to be considered as a predisposing factor to low quality of life in diabetics. Care provided should go beyond the standard treatment that looks into how treatment, lifestyle & behavioral modifications affect daily functioning and well-being of patients thus focusing more on the individual patient’s context and ultimately improving the health-related quality of life of type two diabetes mellitus patients.