Health-Related Quality of Life and its Determinants Among Women With Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Diabetes is a chronic and threatening condition. However, there are controversies on the factors affecting the health related
quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with diabetes.
Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate HRQOL and its determinants among females with type II diabetes referred to Diabetes
Clinic of Khoy city, Northwest of Iran.
Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 352 eligible females with diabetes referring to Diabetes Clinic of
Khoy. The study data were collected using a three-part instrument including a socio-demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire to assess
patients’ knowledge on diabetes and the world health organization’s quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Based on descriptive
and inferential statistics, analyses were conducted using frequency, independent samples t–test, correlation coefcient and regression
analysis.
Results: The total mean score of QOL was 58.02 ± 17.63. The lowest and the highest mean scores were observed in physical health and
social relationship domains (53.84 ± 17.09) and (65.08 ± 14.87), respectively. The regression models revealed that age, education, duration
of disease, and family income were signifcantly associated with all areas of quality of life (P < 0.05). The results also revealed that comorbidity was signifcantly correlated with the overall quality of life and the physical health domain (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: The mean score of quality of life (QOL) in females with diabetes was far from desirable condition. These fndings can help
physicians and healthcare providers to design suitable interventions to improve the patients QOL.