The Socio-demographic and Lifestyle Characteristics Associated with Quality of Life Among Diabetic Patients in Lebanon: a Cross-sectional Study

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic non-communicable endocrine disease that has a considerable impact on both the health and quality of life (QoL) of patients. This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic factors associated with the quality of life among the Lebanese population with DM.

Methods: A cross-sectional study that enrolled 125 diabetic patients aged ≥18, was conducted between January and June of 2021. The validated Arabic version of the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) questionnaire is utilized by all patients to measure the quality of life (QoL). A logistic regression was then performed.

Results: The life domains "freedom to eat" and "freedom to drink", were the most negatively impacted by diabetes. According to the multivariate analysis monthly income OR 3.4, 95 % CIs 1.25 -9.6, P = 0.017, educational level (OR) 0.2, 95 % CIs 0.07 -0.89, HbA1c (OR) 7, 95 % CIs 1.5 -32.35, and FBG [odds ratio (OR) 1.01, 95 % (CIs) 1.004 -1.021, P = 0.005] were independently associated with impaired QOL.

Conclusion: The study showed that diabetes generally had a negative impact on QoL. The findings also suggest that certain sociodemographic factors, such as monthly income and educational level along with clinical parameters like HbA1c, might be associated with a lower quality of life among Lebanese diabetic patients.