Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) develops when the pancreas fails to produce adequate insulin or
when the body can't efficiently utilize the insulin produced. Insulin, a hormone from the
pancreas, aids glucose in leaving the bloodstream and entering cells for energy. This
research aimed to gauge the prevalence and factors linked to non-compliance with dietary
guidance among type 2 diabetic patients at Jinja regional referral hospital. Conducting a
cross-sectional study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data, researchers employed
self-administered and investigator-led questionnaires through convenience sampling,
studying 191 participants with a 78.0% response rate and focusing on 149 respondents.
The study revealed that 51.1% of respondents were female, 48.9% were male, with an
average age of 38 years (standard deviation: 9.62 years). The prevalence of non-adherence
to dietary recommendations among type 2 diabetic patients stood at 14.8%. This nonadherence
was significantly correlated with various factors: female gender (correlation
coefficient: 0.947*, P=0.021), increasing age (correlation coefficient: 0.286*, P=0.002), and
negligence (P=0.027* with a 2-tailed test at 95% confidence level, P<0.05). These findings
underscore a concerning trend: a substantial percentage of diabetic individuals are not
following dietary advice provided by healthcare professionals. Factors such as gender, age,
and familial relation to type 2 diabetes were significantly associated with the lack of
adherence to dietary recommendations.
Keywords: prevalence, diet, type 2 diabetic patients