Mediterranean Diet Score and Glycaemic Control of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus globally, with an increase in mortality. The most effective ways of controlling diabetes mellitus are through medication and lifestyle modifications primarily diet and physical activity. Evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet is effective in the management of chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus. Some studies have investigated the adherence to this diet among diabetes patients and its effect on their glycaemic control with positive results. Most of these studies have, however, been conducted outside Ghana with scanty information on the adherence to the Mediterranean diet by diabetes patients in Ghana and its effect on their glycaemic control. Aim: To determine the Mediterranean diet score and its effect on the glycaemic control among people with diabetes at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Methods: The study design was cross sectional. A total of 100 type 2 diabetes patients were recruited from the National Diabetes Management and Research Centre (Diabetes Clinic) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. A validated structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and socioeconomic information of the participants. Anthropometric indices of participants were determined. Adherence to Mediterranean diet was estimated using the Mediterranean Diet Score Tool. Glycaemic control was determined using glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Descriptive statistics, means and standard deviation were used to analyze continuous variables (age, HbAIc, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-tohip circumference). Proportions were used to analyze adherence to Mediterranean diet. Association between Mediterranean diet score and HbA1c was determined using Pearson correlation. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the 100 participants recruited for the study, seventy-three percent (73%) were females and 23 (23%) were males. The mean age of the participants was 58.4 ± 10.6 years. About 40% of the study participants were obese, 54% had low physical activity and 58% had moderate Mediterranean diet score. The mean HbA1c of study participants was 7.4 ± 1.7%. There was no significant differences in the mean nutrient intakes of study participant (p = 0.910, 0.164, 0.903, 0.140, 0.886, 0.246, 0.665 for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, fibre, magnesium and iron respectively). There was no significant relationship between Mediterranean diet score and glycaemic control (r2 = 0.139; p = 0.168). Conclusions: Mediterranean diet score of type 2 diabetes patients was not found to be significantly associated with their glycaemic control in the study.