The Quality of Life of Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in a Hospital Care Clinic in Taiwan

Purpose: To assess the impact of diabetes on quality of life (QoL) and identify major determinants affecting that impact using a multiple regression model.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional design. The audit of diabetes-dependent quality of life (ADDQoL) was administered to assess QoL.

Results: A sample of 256 outpatients with type 2 diabetes was recruited. A negative impact of diabetes was observed on all life domains. The first three most impacted life domains were 'future', 'freedom to eat', and 'self-confidence'. 'Freedom to eat' was also the domain the most frequently impacted in five previous ADDQoL studies conducted in Singapore, UK, India, the United States, and Slovakia. Factors negatively associated with some domain scores were younger age (future), being male (close personal relationship and sex life), more education (leisure activities, future, dependence, and freedom to drink), low income (leisure activities), having more diabetic complications (do physically and sex life), treatment with insulin (finances and living conditions), and higher HbA1c (freedom to drink).

Conclusion: QoL is impaired in patients with diabetes, especially for the 'freedom to eat' domain, indicating that an intervention to improve dietary freedom might be a good way of improving QoL. Greater negative impact of diabetes on QoL was associated with being younger, male, more educated with low income, more diabetes complications, higher HbA1c, and using insulin. These need to be considered in responding to patients' individual needs.