The Study of Relationship between Lifestyle and Social Factors in Diabetic Patients

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus has serious clinical, social and economic consequences. The increasing prevalence of diabetes around the world has led to many personal and social problems. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between lifestyle and social factors in diabetic patients. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study. Patients with impaired fasting glucose test with diagnosis of diabetes referred to health centers in Tabriz city in 2014 were evaluated. Then, patients completed a checklist containing two parts. The first part includes demographic information, family medical history and the second part includes assessment of social support, mental health status and the socioeconomic factors of the patients. After completing the checklists, data were entered into SPSS v.16 statistical analysis program and then analyzed. Results: In this study, it was observed that there was a significant relationship between the incidence of diabetes with age increasing, smoking, reduced physical activity, diet, obesity, mental stress and mental health, but there was no significant relationship with gender, education level, blood pressure, history of diabetes in first-degree relatives and high blood cholestrol. The study found that diabetic patients had good support from family and friends. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that factors such as old age, low physical activity, obesity, stress and lack of mental health were some of the factors involved in the incidence of diabetes.