Exploring Health-Related Quality of Life and Correlates Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Attending Primary Health Centers in Aljouf Province, Saudi Arabia: A Multi-Site Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) impacts various elements of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, research on the HRQoL of T2DM patients in primary healthcare settings in Saudi Arabia is limited. Therefore, we aimed to determine the HRQoL and associated factors among patients with T2DM to plan policy-driven interventions and improve patient outcomes.

Participants and methods: We surveyed 390 patients with T2DM attending primary health centers (PHCs) in the Aljouf province of Saudi Arabia. We included Saudi adults (≥18 years) diagnosed at least six months before the study and completed at least one follow-up visit at the PHC. In the present cross-sectional study, we used the validated 20-item short-form health survey (SF-20)-Arabic tool to assess different HRQoL domains. We performed Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests for dichotomous and categorical variables, respectively, in each domain. Finally, a binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of overall HRQoL.

Results: The role functioning domain had the highest mean score (75.7±19.7), and the lowest scores were in the social functioning (47.9±20.2) and pain domains (48.9±21.4). Some characteristics, such as marital status, treatment type, and follow-up adherence, were significantly associated with most domains. HRQoL was significantly higher in male patients (p=0.002, adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.66) and those on oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs; p=0.002, AOR=5.18). Obese patients had a significantly lower HRQoL (p=0.036, AOR=0.058). These factors remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, treatment type, and comorbidities in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: We recommend policy changes that incorporate interventions tailored to improve HRQoL, especially in social functioning and pain domains. Moreover, integrating comprehensive pain management strategies and enhancing patient follow-up within PHCs may improve quality of life, especially for high-risk patients with T2DM.