Publication: IMPACT OF DIABETES ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES IN KUALA LANGAT, SELANGOR.
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IMU University
Abstract
Introduction
Malaysia's diabetes prevalence of 12.1% exceeds global and regional averages. In 2017, management costs for diabetes exceeded RM 4 billion. Quality-adjusted Life Year (QALY) can be used to assess cost-effectiveness through Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA) using Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) indexes such as Quality ofWell Being Index Self-Administered (QWB-SA). Due to limited HRQoL studies in Malaysia, this research aims to determine the HRQoL value of the diabetic population in Kuala Langat. It will explore the associations between comorbidities, complications, and utility values, and investigate correlations between medication effects and HRQoL values in diabetes patients. This study offers an accessible method for obtaining utility values and aims to address knowledge gaps in Malaysian HRQoL research.
Methods
A total of 412 participants with diabetes were recruited from primary healthcare clinics in Kuala Langat. Each participant was given the Diabetic Survey Questionnaire (DSQ) to assess demographic characteristics, duration of diabetes, treatments, complications, and comorbidities. Additionally, the QWB-SA was used to calculate a health utility score. Statistical analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon's rank-sum test, Student's T test, and Pearson Chi-Square test to determine the significance of each factor on the health utility score obtained from QWB-SA.
Results
The study involved 412 participants, the majority being female (55.1%) and Malay (49.76%). The mean age of the participants was 62.3 years (95% CI: 61.2-63.3),
the mean BMI was 27.7 (95% CI: 27.2-28.3), and the mean HbAlC was 8.11 (95% CI: 7.91-8.31). The mean utility score using QWB-SA was 0.770 (95% CI: 0.758- 0.782). Significant associations with QWB-SA were found for age, BMI, and HbAlC (p < 0.05). Categorical variables significantly associated included diabetes management type, total medications, cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, and nephropathy (all p < 0.01). These findings highlight key factors influencing health related quality of life in the studied population.
Conclusion
Diabetes complications, medications, treatment type, age, and BMI are significantly associated with the HRQoL of the diabetes population in Kuala Langat, whereas comorbidities, disease duration, gender, and ethnicity do not have any significant impact on their QoL. Further investigation 1s needed on the factors' impact on Malaysian utility values.
Keywords: HRQoL, QWB-SA, utility values, diabetic survey questionnaire, DSQ.
Description
Keywords
Diabetes Mellitus, Quality of Life, Prevalence, Primary Health Care, Female, Diabetes Complications, Sickness Impact Profile