Diabetes and quality of life: a Ugandan perspective.
Quality of life of diabetic patients is not a new concept in literature. The contentious issue however is whether factors associated in literature with quality of life apply to diabetic patients in Uganda. A sample of 219 outpatients attending Mulago diabetic clinic--a national referral hospital in Uganda--is used to provide an understanding of this issue. Quality of life is assessed in the dimensions of role limitation due to physical health, emotional health, treatment satisfaction, physical endurance, and diet satisfaction based on a five-point Likert scale. The analysis is made by patients' characteristics, medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and type of medication using frequency distributions, summary statistics, and a Poisson regression. In the results, we confirm a consensus regarding the influence of age and education level on the quality of life in the dimensions of role limitation and physical endurance (P < 0.05). A similar conclusion is reached with regards to impact of diabetic foot ulcers in the dimension of physical endurance. Thus, the factors associated with quality of life are not entirely unique to diabetic patients in the country.
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Ronald
R
Nyanzi
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Robert
0000-0003-0054-0309
R
Wamala
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Leonard K
LK
Atuhaire
D000367:Age Factors; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010807:Physical Endurance; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012380:Role; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology