DIETARY HABITS OF POLES WITH DIABETES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background
In developing countries, an increase in the incidence of diabetes has been observed in recent years, which is probably related to unhealthy lifestyles as well as a successively ageing population.

Material and methods
The study was conducted between March 2019 and February 2020 among people aged 18-65 years, being treated for diabetes in inpatient and outpatient facilities in southern Poland. A diagnostic survey with use of the Dietary Habits and Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire (KomPAN) and a self-designed questionnaire was applied.

Results
A total of 203 subjects with diabetes took part in the study: 102 outpatients (A) and 103 who were hospitalized at the time of the study (H). The average age of the participants was 46.6±13.6 years old (18-65 years old). The majority of the diabetes patients surveyed confirmed they used a low carbohydrate diet in connection with their illness (87.7%). The dietary behaviors described by the respondents were largely unhealthy. The mean pHDI-10 score for the respondents was: 22.55±8.67 points and for nHDI-14: 15.00±9.88 points. The place of the study, education and the general financial situation of the subjects had a statistically significant effect on the results (p<0.05).

Conclusions
When educating patients with diabetes, health professionals should be proactive in providing them adequate counselling on dietary recommendations from the onset of the disease. This will lead to better nutritional knowledge and the motivation to put the recommendations into practice.