Assessment of lifestyle factors, stress levels, and quality of life among people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

BackgroundIndia is deemed the “Diabetes Capital,” with over 100 million people suffering from this deadly disease. The disease is a lifestyle disorder and significantly impacts the quality of life. Thus, the study assesses the lifestyle factors and quality of life (QoL) among people suffering from Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 T2DM participants aged 18–65. Data were collected from Diabetic Clinics across Pune City using the Modified Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire, having seven domains with 17 questions. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were used to assess Stress and Physical Activity. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to collect data. The data was entered and cleaned in Microsoft Excel and analysis was done using SPSS v23. Descriptive and inferential analysis was computed.Results60% of the participants were males with a mean age of 43.30 ± 10.89 years. The mean age of women was 50.17 ± 10.13 years. The mean HbA1c of males and females was 7.98 ± 1.41 and 7.83 ± 1.25, respectively. 83% have moderate stress, while 11% have low stress. Only 11% were found to be physically active. The average QoL score of the participants was 63.4 ± 11.2, non-significantly higher in males than in females (64.9 ± 11.03 vs 61.0 ± 11.22). Domain assessment of QoL showed statistical significance among general health (p = 0.002) and energy fatigue (p = 0.015), with males having better general health than women, and energy levels were better in females than males. However, no significance was seen between the genders in physical function, emotional well-being, and role limitation. A statistical significance for energy fatigue (p = 0.031) was observed when QoL was assessed across the disease duration.ConclusionDue to a sedentary lifestyle and increased stress, the glycemic profile of the participants was uncontrolled, which negatively impacted their quality of life. Thus, a holistic approach to managing diabetes will be more beneficial in improving the quality of life.