Dietary practice among type 2 diabetics at Huu Thinh commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province

Abstract: Aim: the study aimed to assess dietary practice among type 2 diabetics at Huu Dinh commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province. Methods: This was a quantitative cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 206 type 2 diabetics residing at the study site via face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. Results: 58.3% of the participants had appropriate general dietary practice. The rates of participants having appropriate practice regarding consumption of carbohydrate food, high-fat food, vitamin and fiber rich food and regarding number of meals per day were not high. Conclusion: Poor dietary practice among the participants implies the importance of interventions aimed to improve dietary awareness and practice among type 2 diabetics as well as their family. The interventions need to be appropriate with patients’ dietary habits, socio-economic conditions and with availability of local foods. Keywords: dietary practice, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Ben Tre province, cross-sectional.