NUTRITION EDUCATION AND COUNSELING AT HOSPITAL DETERMINES DIETARY ADHERENCE OF DIABETES PATIENTS

Abstract ABSTRACT Background: Adherence to healthy meal plan can delay and prevent complications from diabetes. However, feeding habits of the patients is not well known in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary adherence and associated factors among diabetes patient at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahirdar City Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among systematically selected 385 diabetes patients from March to April, 2017 at Felege-Hiwot Referral hospital, Bahir Dar Northwest Ethiopia. Quantitative data were collected by using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. To supplement their experiences, views and perception, participants were selected purposely for in-depth interviews. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between dependent and explanatory variables. Statically significant was considered at p value < 0.05 with 95% CI. The qualitative data were analyzed in content line by line with quantitative findings. Results: The overall proportion of poor dietary adherence among diabetes patients was 46.8% (95% CI: 41.1- 52.0). Living in rural (AOR=3. 75;95% CI: 2.12-6.63), duration of diabetes less than 5 years (AOR=2. 81; 95% CI: 1.22-6.50), didn’t get nutrition education (AOR=5. 88; 95% CI: 3.30-10.48), poor social support (AOR=3. 84; 95% CI: 1.74-8.46) and didn’t make choices on food when they ate out (AOR=3. 49; 95% CI: 2.09-5.81) were significantly associated with poor dietary practice. Conclusion: Considerable numbers of diabetes patients in this study were non-adhered to the recommended diet and to improve their dietary practice; attention should be given to nutrition education. Keywords: Nutrition education , Diabetes, Diet, Ethiopia.