| Abstrakt: |
Background: Diet plays an important role in the management of patients with type II diabetes mellitus (DM), and inadequate adherence to dietary recommendations acts as a barrier to controlling blood glucose levels. This study aims to identify factors that affect the adherence to dietary recommendations among patients with type II DM. Methods: A descriptive study design was carried out at Imam Hussein medical city/Holy Kerbala/Iraq, from the period of October (2015) to June (2021). A non-probability (purposive sample) consists of 100 patients with type II DM, who have at least six months’ duration of the disease, and who has attended the outpatient clinic at Imam Hussein medical city. The data were collected by the use of a constructed questionnaire. The data were analyzed through the application of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis procedures by using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 24. Results: The results reveal that more than one half (57.0%) of participants reported they do not know how much of diabetes diet to eat; approximately three quarter (71.0%) of participants documented that it is too hard for them to eat a diabetes diet when they are away from home, and 61.0% of them had economic costs not bear to be their diet separated from their families' food; about two-thirds (63.0%) of patients mentioned that diabetes diet are too unpleasant and they are do not like it; approximately one half (51.0%) of patients stated that there is no need to follow dietary recommendations because they are strictly adherence with diabetes treatment; 70.0% of them documented that a food gathering makes it difficult to follow the dietary recommendations; 64.0% of patients reported that stress conditions caused them to eat unhealthy diet, and 56.0% of them believed that diabetes is out of control whether eating right or not. A significant association was found between these factors and their monthly income, duration of DM, and gender at the p-value of ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: Several factors include lack of dietitian’s consultation, don't know how much of diabetes diet to eat, economic costs, unpleasant diabetic diet, and unavailability of diabetic diet when it is the time to eat, food gatherings, forgetfulness, the strong desire of hungry, and stress make patients trouble to control of diabetic diet. The study recommends the need to educate patients about dietary self-care management; a booklet should be prepared and given to patients with type II DM as guidance for dietary self-care management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
