Awareness of Type 2 Diabetic Patients about the Importance of Exercise and Diet on Diabetes Type 2 in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

Diabetes is becoming more prevalent in undeveloped countries, what is known about self-care practice is insignificant, like self-monitoring of blood glucose, balanced diet, Medication adherence, and exercise. For people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, exercise is usually one of the first control measures recommended. These practices are considered as the basis of diabetes management.

OBJCTIVE

The study goal is to assess the awareness of type 2 diabetic patients about the importance of exercise and diet on diabetes type 2.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational survey study that was carried out in western Province, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaires were used to ask about the background information and patients' demographics, self-monitoring of blood glucose, eating and drinking habits, exercise habits, and beliefs about the effectiveness of diet and exercise on blood glucose.

RESULTS

A total of 568 type 2 of diabetic patients. The average age of the participants was 51.89 ± 12.82 years, 53.5% were females, 89.8% were educated, 81.2% were married, and 30.1% were from Jeddah city. 30.3 % of patients did not practice healthy habits, and 43 % did not exercise, even though 90 % believed that exercise and diet had a positive impact on glucose level in the blood.Male patients showed considerably a higher percentage of those who continued to engage in unhealthy habits such as "smoking, eating fast food, eating sugars, or drinking soft drinks.

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of Saudi diabetic patients did not follow a healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis. Health policymakers should conduct effective health education sessions for diabetic patients on the importance of a healthy diet and exercise in diabetes management.