Quality of Life in People with Diabetes Mellitus Followed by the Basic Health Unit

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that affects population health and requires quality of life assessment to formulate specific care strategies to minimize or prevent its deterioration.

Objective: To assess the quality of life of people with diabetes mellitus monitored by the basic health unit.

Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out with 82 diabetic patients in a basic health unit. Questionnaires containing sociodemographic and clinical variables, as well as the problem areas in diabetes, were used to assess quality of life. In the data analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Student's t test and variance analysis were used.

Results: Most of the participants were women, elderlies and had black skin. They were nonsmokers and nonalcoholic patients, had completed primary education and were retired. They had their own homes and a family income of up to a minimum wage. They had type 2 diabetes, apart from two comorbidities associated with diabetes, and between six and ten years of diagnosis. They used oral antidiabetics as a sedentary form of treatment. The total score showed an average of 32.36, which indicates a good quality of life for most of the participants, while those who suffered a negative impact had the emotional factor as the most affected domain.

Conclusion: The data obtained from this study will allow planning specific actions targeted at this population to promote better adherence to practices that positively influence quality of life.