Beyond diagnosis : investigating factors influencing health-related quality of life in older people with type 2 diabetes in Slovenia

Mihevc, Matic (author), Virtič Potočnik, Tina (author), Zavrnik, Črt (author), Petek Šter, Marija (author), Klemenc-Ketiš, Zalika (author), Poplas-Susič, Tonka (author)

Aims: To examine the present state of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) receiving integrated care and identify risk factors associated with low HRQOL. Methods: A multi-centre cross-sectional survey among elderly individuals with T2D, treated in Slovenian urban and rural primary care settings was performed. HRQOL was investigated using EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire and Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS). Furthermore, socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. Low HRQOL was defined as EQ-5D utility score <10%. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression statistics. Results: Examining 358 people with median age of 72 (range 65–98) years and with a mean EQ-5D utility score of 0.80, the study found that lower HRQOL correlated with older age, higher body mass index (BMI), lower education, elevated depressive symptoms, increased challenges across all EQ-5D dimensions, and less favourable appraisal of diabetes. When considering age, gender, education, and HbA1c, the main predictors of low HRQOL were BMI (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04–1.76, p = 0.025) and ADS score (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.13–2.35, p = 0.009). Conclusions: To improve HRQOL, integrated care models should consider interventions that target mental health, obesity prevention, chronic pain management, diabetes education, self-management, and treatment plan personalisation.

• Language: English
• Keywords: quality of life, type 2 diabetes, elderly, obesity, appraisal of diabetes, resilience
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 157–162
• Numbering: Vol. 18, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-156224
• UDC: 616.379
• ISSN on article: 1751-9918
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pcd.2024.01.010
• COBISS.SI-ID: 186518531
• Publication date in RUL: 15.05.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Primary care diabetes
• Publisher: Elsevier, Primary Care Diabetes Europe
• ISSN: 1751-9918
• COBISS.SI-ID: 22925529

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kakovost življenja, diabetes tip 2, starostniki, debelost, ocena sladkorne bolezni, odpornost

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 825432
• Name: SCale Up an integrated care package for diaBetes and hYpertension for vulnerable people in Cambodia, Slovenia and Belgium
• Acronym: SCUBY