Evaluation of Adherence to Dietary Guideline for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus According to Age

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aimed to compare adherence to dietary guidelines between elderly and non‐elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Korea.MethodsData of 4577 patients with T2DM were collected from the 1998–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The patients were classified into two groups based on age: non‐elderly T2DM group comprising patients aged 30–64 years and elderly T2DM group comprising patients aged ≥65 years. Adherence to dietary guidelines was assessed using the Korean Diabetes Association‐Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (KDA‐KMHW) index, comprising six components of dietary guidelines for T2DM patients. Multivariate generalized linear regression analysis was performed to analyze the KDA‐KMHW index scores.ResultsThe adherence levels to the individual components of the KDA‐KMHW index were mostly lower in non‐elderly T2DM patients (P < 0.001) than elderly group, except for moderate carbohydrate consumption. The total KDA‐KMHW index score was significantly lower in non‐elderly T2DM group than in the elderly T2DM group (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe study results suggest the need for developing patient‐specific education programs that focus on adherence to dietary guidelines, particularly for non‐elderly patients, to adequately intervene with the difficulties experienced in T2DM dietary management.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (grant number: NRF‐2017R1A1A3A04069759).