Level of adherence to dietary recommendations and barriers among type 2 diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study in an Ethiopian hospital

Asnakew Achaw Ayele; Yohannes Kelifa Emiru; Sofonyas Abebaw Tiruneh; Belete Achamyelew Ayele; Alemayehu Digssie Gebremariam; Henok Getachew Tegegn

doi:10.1186/s40842-018-0070-7

Level of adherence to dietary recommendations and barriers among type 2 diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study in an Ethiopian hospital

Clin Diabetes Endocrinol. 2018 Nov 29:4:21. doi: 10.1186/s40842-018-0070-7. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Asnakew Achaw Ayele¹, Yohannes Kelifa Emiru², Sofonyas Abebaw Tiruneh³, Belete Achamyelew Ayele⁴, Alemayehu Digssie Gebremariam³, Henok Getachew Tegegn^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, BOX 520 Gondar, PO Ethiopia.
² 2School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
⁴ 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics, Institute of Public health College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
⁵ 5School of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351 Australia.

Abstract

Background: Limited data are available regarding the level of adherence and barriers to dietary recommendations in individuals with type 2 diabetes in Africa including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the level of dietary adherence and its barriers among patients with type 2 diabetes in northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A prospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2017 at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. The Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire (PDAQ) was used for dietary adherence measurement. Multivariate logistic regression was done to identify the barriers influencing dietary adherence.

Result: A significant percentage (74.3%) of the study participants had poor adherence to dietary recommendations. The highest mean score was obtained for the question regarding consuming foods high in sugar with a mean 5.49 ± 1.20 times a week. On the other hand, our participants had a low consumption of fruits and vegetables and foods high in omega-3 fats with a mean of 1.84 ± 1.96 and 0.1 ± 0.62 times a week respectively. According to the survey of participants, lack of knowledge, lack of diet education, inability to afford the cost of healthy diet and poor awareness about the benefit of dietary recommendations were the most cited reasons for poor dietary adherence. In multivariate logistics regression, low level of educational status, the presence of co-morbidities, lack of previous exposure to dietary education and low monthly income were statistically significant factors associated with non-adherence.

Conclusion: The rate of non-adherence to dietary recommendation among patients with T2DM was found to be high in northwest Ethiopia. Hence, providing customized health education about the potential benefit of proper dietary recommendations in controlling blood glucose is recommended. Health care providers should be proactive in promoting adherence to dietary recommendations in patients with T2DM.

Keywords: Adherence; Diabetic; Dietary recommendations; Ethiopia; Type 2 diabetes.