Sales, I.; Bawazeer, G.; Shahba, A.A.-W.; Alkofide, H. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetes Self-Management in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare2024, 12, 521.
Sales, I.; Bawazeer, G.; Shahba, A.A.-W.; Alkofide, H. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetes Self-Management in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare 2024, 12, 521.
Sales, I.; Bawazeer, G.; Shahba, A.A.-W.; Alkofide, H. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetes Self-Management in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare2024, 12, 521.
Sales, I.; Bawazeer, G.; Shahba, A.A.-W.; Alkofide, H. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetes Self-Management in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare 2024, 12, 521.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare worldwide, potentially impacting disease management. This cross-sectional study assessed the influence of COVID-19 on diabetes self-management in 341 Saudis with type 2 diabetes using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ). The DSMQ contains 16 items across 4 domains assessing glucose management, dietary control, physical activity, and healthcare use. Three additional items measured the perceived overall impact of COVID-19. Total DSMQ scores were significantly higher in patients aged >60 years versus younger groups. Scores were significantly lower in patients diagnosed for 1-5 years versus longer durations. Patients on insulin had higher glucose management subscores than oral medication users. Overall, DSMQ scores were higher than the pre-pandemic Saudi population and Turkish post-pandemic findings. DSMQ results suggest that while COVID-19 negatively impacted some self-management domains, Saudi patients upheld relatively good diabetes control during the pandemic. Further research is warranted on specific barriers to optimize diabetes care during public health crises.
Keywords
COVID-19 Pandemic, Diabetes, DSMQ, Self-management, Saudi patients with diabetes
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Endocrinology and Metabolism
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
