title: Quality of life and its correlates in diabetic outpatients in Swaziland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring frequent monitoring that may be accompanied by considerable quality of life (QOL) burden. Low- and middle-income countries such as Swaziland are facing a double disease burden exacerbated by the high prevalence of infectious diseases. This study aimed to understand the QOL and its correlates in diabetic outpatients in Swaziland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were consecutively recruited during their routine visits to a referral hospital in Swaziland. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with outpatients using the Diabetes-39 questionnaire to measure their QOL. Raw scores were transformed to a standard domain-specific score using linear transformation with scores ranging from 0 (lowest impact) to 100 (highest impact).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 340 participants in this cross-sectional study anxiety and worry was the most affected QOL domain. In multiple linear regression analyses, the presence of complications and/or comorbidities, low income, limited education and being on insulin therapy, showed higher impacts of diabetes on the participants' QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high impact of diabetes on anxiety and worry QOL score highlights the need to address diabetic patients' psychological wellbeing in the clinical management of diabetes. An integrated diabetes care program that takes into account the impacts of sociodemographic and clinical factors on QOL may improve the QOL of diabetic patients.
authors: International Health Program, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Nelisiwe
authors: N
authors: Mngomezulu
authors: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Division of Clinical Toxicology and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan ccyang2@ym.edu.tw.
authors: Chen-Chang
authors: CC
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D013541:Eswatini / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin
keywords: Comorbidity; Diabetes; Quality of life; Swaziland