Glycemic control and its associated factors among patients with diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose

Diabetes mellitus is becoming a growing concern worldwide. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess the magnitude of poor glycemic control and to identify the determinants of poor glycemic control among diabetic patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 732 diabetes patients seeking care at the outpatient department of Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Information, including glycemic status, was collected from patients’ medical records using a structured questionnaire.

Findings

About 87.6% of the patients were found to have poor glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin = 7%). Variables that were significant in bivariate analysis were put into a multivariate model where the factors associated with poor glycemic control were patients aged 41–60 years (odds ratio (OR)=2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–4.32, p = 0.013), suffering from diabetes for > 7 years (OR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.12–2.99, p = 0.015), using insulin (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.23–4.47; p = 0.010) or diet alone (OR = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.05–0.80, p = 0.023) as a type of diabetes treatment and proper use of medicine (OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.17–0.82, p = 0.015).

Originality/value

The high prevalence of poor glycemic control among diabetic patients is evident; therefore, strategic management and proper attention focusing on the predictors of poor glycemic control are necessary to reduce the long-term complications of diabetes.

Citation

Reza, H.M., Hasan, T., Sultana, M. and Faruque, M.O. (2021), "Glycemic control and its associated factors among patients with diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 936-946. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-09-2020-0343