title: Health-Related Quality of Life and its Determinants Among Women With Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetes is a chronic and threatening condition. However, there are controversies on the factors affecting the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with diabetes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed to evaluate HRQOL and its determinants among females with type II diabetes referred to Diabetes Clinic of Khoy city, Northwest of Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was performed on 352 eligible females with diabetes referring to Diabetes Clinic of Khoy. The study data were collected using a three-part instrument including a socio-demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire to assess patients' knowledge on diabetes and the world health organization's quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Based on descriptive and inferential statistics, analyses were conducted using frequency, independent samples t-test, correlation coefficient and regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total mean score of QOL was 58.02 ± 17.63. The lowest and the highest mean scores were observed in physical health and social relationship domains (53.84 ± 17.09) and (65.08 ± 14.87), respectively. The regression models revealed that age, education, duration of disease, and family income were significantly associated with all areas of quality of life (P < 0.05). The results also revealed that co-morbidity was significantly correlated with the overall quality of life and the physical health domain (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mean score of quality of life (QOL) in females with diabetes was far from desirable condition. These findings can help physicians and healthcare providers to design suitable interventions to improve the patients QOL.
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Didarloo
authors.affiliation: Food and Beverages Safety Research Center, Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alizadeh
keywords: Diabetes Mellitus; Females; Quality of Life