Health-Related Quality of Life of Diabetes Mellitus Patients and Non- Diabetics in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria has the highest number of diabetics in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a chronic illness, diabetes mellitus (DM) places serious constraints on the people living with diabetes mellitus. The short-term and long-term complications affecting the physical, psychological and social functioning of diabetics can impinge on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study assessed and compared the HRQOL of diabetic patients and non-diabetics in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Four objectives and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a descriptive cross sectional survey design. It was conducted at the diabetic out- patient clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. Power analysis was used to determine the minimum sample size of 200 each for the diabetic and the non-diabetic comparison group. The diabetics who met the inclusion criteria were purposively recruited, while the age and sex matched non-diabetics were recruited from Catholic Community of Mater Misericordiae Catholic Church, Rumumasi and Anglican Community of Anglican Church of Messiah, Elekahia Housing Estate, all in Port Harcourt. The World Health Quality of Life-Bref, (WHOQOL-BREF) a 26 item standardized questionnaire with 12 additional questions soliciting demographic and clinical data was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was carried out using split-half method.The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of reliability was 0.70 for physical domain, 0.76 for psychological domain, 0.78 for social domain and 0.70 for environmental domain.. Instrument was interviewer administered and data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using Chi-square, student t-test and analysis of variance at alpha significant level of P<0.05. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the diabetics and the non-diabetics in their demographic variables. The mean scores for diabetics in the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF were: physical 23.17 ± 3.39, Psychological 20.06 ± 3.32, social 10.20 ± 2.47 and environmental 28.00 ± 5.15. The mean scores for non-diabetics in the four domains were: physical 24.17 ± 2.42, psychological 21.53 ± 2.51, social 11.43 ± 1.87 and environmental 28.68 ± 5.044. The diabetic group had less HRQOL (p < 0.05) than the non- diabetic group in the physical, psychological and social domains. Out of the 200 diabetics, 92 reported co-morbidities. The mean scores of diabetics with co-morbidities in the four domains were: physical 22.73 ± 3.30, psychological 19.63 ± 3.08, social 9.96 and environmental 27.41 ± 4.98. The mean scores of diabetics without co-morbidities in the four domains were: physical 23.55 ± 3.43, psychological 20.39 ± 3.48, social 10.40 ± 2.62 and environmental 28.50 ± 5.25. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the diabetic patients with co-morbidities and the diabetics without co-morbidities in all the four domains. The diabetics with post-secondary education had a significant higher mean score (3.93 ± 0.81) than those with secondary and primary education (3.75 ± 1.12 and 3.37 ± 1.06 respectively). In conclusion, DM