DIETARY PRACTICES, CLINICAL MONITORING AND DIABETESMANAGEMENT AMONG ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases and has become a major
public health concern. Hyderabad was purposively selected for the study as it has emerged as one of the metropolitan cities with
a high incidence of diabetes and its associated complications. The present study was conducted during 2024 with the purpose of
assessing the dietary patterns, lifestyle habits, clinical characteristics, treatment practices, diagnostic monitoring, diabetes-related
complications, and anthropometric status of adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. A descriptive research design was adopted for
the study. A total of 90 diabetic patients attending the outpatient departments of different hospitals in Hyderabad were randomly
selected for the study. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics. The
findings revealed that the majority of the respondents (64.44%) were non-vegetarians, while 91.11 percent consumed junk foods,
84.44 percent consumed cold beverages, and 80.00 percent regularly consumed desserts and confectionery. Nearly half of the
respondents (45.55%) had been living with diabetes for 3–6 years, and 83.34 percent reported a family history of diabetes. Most
respondents (91.11%) managed diabetes with diet and oral hypoglycaemic drugs during the initial stages, whereas dependence
on insulin increased with disease duration. Although 88.89 percent of the respondents underwent fasting and non-fasting blood
glucose tests, only 27.77 percent underwent HbA1c testing and 8.88 percent underwent regular foot examinations. Delayed
wound healing (46.66%) and cataract or vision problems (45.55%) were the most commonly reported complications. Anthropometric
assessment indicated that 44.44 percent of the respondents were overweight and 38.88 percent were obese. The study emphasizes
the need for nutrition education, healthy lifestyle promotion, regular diagnostic monitoring, and effective diabetes self-management
interventions to reduce complications and improve the quality of life among individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.