Abstract:
Background: Diabetes is a challenging disease to manage successfully.
It is estimated that the prevalence of diabetes in Kenya is at 4.6%
among adult patients. Although the care regimen is complex, patients
with good diabetes self-care behaviors can attain excellent glycemic
control. It is vital that patients adhere to their stipulated routines to
minimize the burden of the disease on the health care systems. The
purpose of this study was to determine adherence to dietary guidelines
and dietary patterns among type 2 diabetic patients at Moi Teaching
and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Kenya.
Methods: A cross sectional research design with mixed methods
approach was used and included a total of 313 respondents with type
2DM at MTRH. Systematic random sampling was used to select type 2
diabetic patients from the outpatient clinic while purposive sampling
was used to select key informants and patients for Focus Group
Discussion. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze
the quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed thematically.
Results: Majority (80%) of the patients followed diet recommendations
as per the counseling given by the hospital nutritionist. The patients had
reduced sugar and alcohol intake, consumed foods rich in starch and
had reduced intake of salt and processed food. Beef and fish was
consumed at least once monthly by 31.3% and 34.2% of patients
respectively. Fresh milk and fermented milk was consumed daily by
52% and 38% of patients respectively while chicken was consumed 1
to 3 times monthly by 54% of the respondents.
Fruits and nuts were rarely consumed. Fruits were the least frequently
eaten. Bananas (5.1%), mangoes (5.8%), pawpaw (18.2%, avocado
(8.3%) and oranges (5.8%) were eaten once a week
. However, there was increased intake of milk and meat products.
Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients had high levels of
adherence to dietay guidelines. However, the patients had high intake
of foods that are high in saturated fat that is not suitable for the
management of diabetes. A more personalized dietary counselling is
recommended to enhance adherence to dietary guidelines for type 2DM
patients. We recommend a revision of the guidelines to inform patients
of foods high in saturated fats.