Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Dietary practices are essential in diabetes control and acquiring HbA1c target. The aim of our work is to evaluate the prevalence of dietary education practice in a type 2 diabetes population and its associated factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional study enrolling 84 type 2 diabetes patients followed up in the outpatient endocrinology department. The data was collected through a questionnaire in face-to-face interviews with patients. Age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes duration, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and serum lipid profile were assessed.

Results: The mean age was 59 ± 12 years. Of the study population, 42 % were females. The mean diabetes duration was 9.4 ± 6.4 years. The mean HbA1c was 9.9% ± 2.4. The mean BMI was 27.7 ±4.7 kg/m². More than two-third (71%) of the patients were overweight/obese. Less than the the half of the participants (45%) were measuring their blood glucose level at their home. Only 33% got nutrition education on diabetes diet from a health professional. The rest of respondents reported getting dietary information from media in 30% and from friends and family in 37%. Recieving nutrition education from a health care professional was associated with following dietary recommendations (P=10^-³), self monitoring of blood glucose (P=0.04) and a better glycemic control (P<10^-³). Patients who got a dietary education had lower BMI (26.6 ± 3.1 kg/m² vs 28.3 ± 5.2 kg/m² P=0.06) and better serum lipid profile including a lower triglycerides levels (1.09 ±0.36 mmol/l vs 1.52± 1.1 mmol/l; P=0.009). Getting nutrition education was significantly associated with good dietary practices including : getting meals meals based on a diet plan (P<10^-3), knowing diffrent food groups (P=0.003) and reducing sweets and sugary consumption (P<10^-3). Patients who recieved a nutrition education insisted more on the importance of having a physician nutrition specialist (P=0.002)

Conclusion: Among the patients, diabetic dietary awareness and management are still a major challenges faced by healthcare professionals. This study highlights the importance of reinforcement of an active dietary education through health-care providers (physician nutrition specialist, dietitician…) to encourage patient to make changes in their nutritional habits and improve their dietary knowledge and practices.