Health related quality of life among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients of Nepal: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20264050Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, Health-related quality of life, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, WHOQOL-BREFAbstract
Background: To assess HRQOL and its associated factors among patients with T2DM attending Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 72 T2DM patients selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and WHOQOL-BREF tool. WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire (a standard tool developed by WHO) consists of 26 items divided into 4 domains i.e. physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and Chi-square test for associations.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 52.31±11.15 years. The mean overall WHOQOL-BREF score was 83.54±7.46. Among domains, social relationship had the highest mean score, while environmental domain had the lowest. Most respondents (90.3%) reported excellent quality of life, while 9.7% had moderate quality of life. The age with physical health domain and marital status with social relationships domain have strong significant association at P value 0.035 and 0.003 respectively.
Conclusions: The study found relatively good HRQOL among T2DM patients, though variations existed across domains. Focused interventions targeting physical health, older age groups, and social support systems are recommended to further improve quality of life.
References
Martínez-Castelao A, Górriz JL, Fernández-Fernández B, Soler MJ, Navarro-González JF. Diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease: the future is being surpassed. J Clin Med. 2025;14(23):8326.
World Health Organization. WHOQOL: Measuring quality of life, 2012. Available at: https://www.who.int/tools/whoqol. Assessed 26 April 2026.
Trikkalinou A, Papazafiropoulou AK, Melidonis A. Type 2 diabetes and quality of life. World J Diabetes. 2017;8(4):120-9.
Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. What is health-related quality of life?. Available at: https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-research/patient-centered-outcomes-research/what-is-health-related-quality-of-life/. Accessed 29 Apr 2026.
World Health Organization. Non-communicable disease risk factor survey, Bangladesh. 2010. Available at: https://www.who.int. Accessed 29 April 2026.
Islam SM, Purnat TD, Phuong NT, Mwingira U, Schacht K, Fröschl G. Non‐Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in developing countries: a symposium report. Globalization Health. 2014;10(1):81.
World Health Organization. WHO Diabetes, 2024. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes. Accessed 03 June 2026.
International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas. 11th ed. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2023-2025
Saleh F, Khan AKA, Ara F, Kabir IA. Assessment of health-related quality of life of Bangladeshi type 2 diabetic patients. J Diabet Mell. 2022;12(4):245-56.
Esubalew H, Belachew A, Seid Y, Wondmagegn H, Temesgen K, Ayele T. Health-related quality of Life among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in Central Ethiopia: A Multicenter Study. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2024;17:1039-49.
Gholami A, Azini M, Borji A, Shirazi F, Sharafi Z, Zarei E. Quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes: application of WHOQOL-BREF scale. Shiraz E-Med J. 2013;14(3):162-71.
KC T. Factors associated with health-related quality of life among Nepalese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study. J Inst Med. 2017;39(1):75-81
Magar KR, Sharma S, Adhikari S, Gurung B, Poudel K, Poudel A. Health related quality of life in diabetic patients in Pokhara Metropolitan City. Med J Pokhara Acad Health Sci. 2021;4(2):397-403.
Monica G, Moulika K, Kumar NS, Anusha M. Study to assess health related quality of life in type II diabetes mellitus patients in rural Medchal Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana State. Eur J Cardiovasc Med. 2024;14 (4):1121-6.
Gupta J, Kapoor D, Sood V. Quality of life and its determinants in patients with diabetes mellitus from two health institutions of sub-Himalayan region of India. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2021;25(3):211-9.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pooja Prakash, Anshu Nembang, Hritik Raj Paswan, Surabhi Sagar, Kajal Prakash, Barsha Prakash

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.