Food Consumption of Diabetic Patients with Uncontrolled Plasma Glucose Level at Diabetic Clinic, Kut Chap Hospital, Udon Thani Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study was to investigate food consumption behavior of uncontrolled diabetic patients. The subjects were the diabetic patient attending diabetic clinic at Kut Chap Hospital, aged between 30-60 years with blood sugar levels higher than 130 mg/dL 3 times. A total of 163 diabetic patients were recruited. Data were collected by means of interviewing. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented as percentage, mean, standard deviation. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors affecting food consumption behavior.

The results showed that 67.5 percent of the subjects were women. The mean age was 53.4 years. The mean time of being diagnosed as diabetes was 8.4 years. Main complication was high blood pressure. Nutritional assessment based on body mass index (BMI) found that females with obesity levels 1 were 40 percent and males were 39.6 percent and based on the waist circumference, it was found that females with high waist circumference (>80 cm) were 81.8 percent, and males with high waist circumference (>90 cm) were 39.6 percent. Knowledge about diabetic food consumption showed a high level of knowledge, 75.5 percent. Attitudes about food consumption, diabetes showed a good attitude 73 percent. Health behaviors regarding exercise showed that 52.8 percent had physical activity. All subjects had no stress. Most of them did not drink alcohol (74.2 percent). Regarding medical compliance, it was found that nearly all of them (95.7 percent) took the medicine as prescribed by the doctor. Regarding enabling factors including health services such as treatment, counseling, 67.5% had high level of satisfaction. For reinforcing factors, social support including public health personnel in Kut Chap Hospital, the caregivers of diabetic patients, 53.4% had high level of satisfaction. Regarding food consumption behavior, it was found that all subjects consumed at least 3 meals per day with eating a lot in breakfast and dinner. Factors related to food consumption behaviors with statistically significant differences were gender. Male had risk food consumption behavior 3.69 times of female (OR_Adj=3.69, 95% CI=1.15-13.59). With knowing blood sugar levels, the patients who ate food normally before seeing the doctor had risk food consumption behaviors 8.03 times (OR_Adj=8.03, 95% CI 2.10-30.71) of the ones who increasingly controlled food consumption. Patients without doing physical exercise had risk food consumption behavior 6.1 (OR_Adj=6.1, 95% CI 1.44-25.92) times higher than those with exercise.