Abstract
BackgroundAlthough several studies indicate the effects of diabetes type 2 on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in female subjects, the related impact of the disease on HRQoL in their family members has rarely been the focus of the empirical research. In this study we aim to investigate associations between diabetes in women and the HRQoL in these women and their family members, using the structural equation modeling (SEM).MethodsThis family-based study was conducted on 794 women (11.1% with diabetes) as well as their spouses and children who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) from 2014 to 2016. Data on HRQoL were collected using the Iranian version of the Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version™ 4.0 (PedsQL). SEM was conducted to evaluate the network of associations among studied variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics & AMOS version 23 software.ResultsMean age of women was 41.37 ± 5.32 years. Diabetes in women significantly affected their mental HRQoL (β = − 0.11, P < 0.01) but showed no significant direct associations with physical and mental HRQoL in their spouses or their children. However, poor mental HRQoL in women with diabetes was associated with decrease in both physical (β = − 0.02, P = 0.013) and mental (β = − 0.03, P < 0.01) HRQoL in their spouses and total HRQoL score in children (β = − 0.02, P < 0.01).ConclusionsAmong women with diabetes type 2, beyond its effect on their mental HRQoL per se, demonstrated a negative association with the self-assessment of health status in their spouses and children. Such familial consequences are mainly attributed to the negative effect of the disease on the mental rather than the physical HRQoL in women with diabetes.
Highlights
Diabetes is a fast emerging public health problem and the fourth leading cause of disability, worldwide [1]
Data of 794 married women who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) during 2014–2016, who had at least one school-aged child and had complete data on diabetes, socio-demographics, Body Mass Index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were analyzed
Study results show that even after adjusting for potential confounders, diabetes type 2 had a detrimental impact on the mental HRQoL in women but was not directly associated with the HRQoL of their family members
Summary
Diabetes is a fast emerging public health problem and the fourth leading cause of disability, worldwide [1]. In Iran, epidemiological studies show that the prevalence of this disease increases. Systematic reviews conducted on studies of different countries and cultures [9, 10] as well as Iran [11], indicate that diabetes can affect all aspects. Several studies indicate the effects of diabetes type 2 on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in female subjects, the related impact of the disease on HRQoL in their family members has rarely been the focus of the empirical research. In this study we aim to investigate associations between diabetes in women and the HRQoL in these women and their family members, using the structural equation modeling (SEM)
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