QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF ATTITUDE TO NUTRITION OF PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

Summary. One of the common goals of T2DM diet therapy is to improve knowledge about diabetes-related nutrition in order to promote positive dietary practices and improve the quality of nutrition.

The aim of the study – to assess the attitude to nutrition of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods. The study included 34 patients with T2DM who were hospitalized in the municipal institution "City Clinical Hospital No 4" of the Dnipro City Council. Each patient was interviewed for 30–60 minutes, during which the researcher found out how the diagnosis of diabetes changed the attitude to nutrition, the role of nutrition in diabetes, in particular, the following questions were asked: do you consider nutrition a component of a normal stable life; how your diet changed since you had been diagnosed with diabetes; did your attitude towards food change after you learned that you had diabetes; how others relate to the fact that you refuse certain foods due to diabetes; how you assess your emotional state in the company at the table; how you organized your meals in the family; do you get positive emotions from eating; do you associate glucose growth with dietary errors?

Results. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the vast majority of patients (61.76 %) understand that nutrition is an important component of a normal stable life, but the remaining 38.24 % of patients do not think about the quality of nutrition for the normal functioning of their body. Almost all patients with T2DM changed their diet after the disease was detected, and 9 patients are strictly following the diet, 4 patients reducing only the portion size, the rest trying to follow a diet. After the diagnosed T2DM patients also changed their attitude to food, in particular, most patients increased the desire to eat "harmful" for this category of patients. Often, both patients and surrounded people felt uncomfortable eating at the same table.

Conclusions. Dietary modification is a necessary measure for the effective management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients. The joint work of medical staff with a patient with diabetes will allow to develop strategies for a particular patient that will balance not only their diet, but also interpersonal relationships during meals.