Association of dietary intake and nutrition knowledge with diabetes self-management behavior among Bangladeshi type 2 diabetes mellitus adults: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Diabetes self-management behavior is important for patients to lessen disease-related complications, obtain optimum glycemic control and achieve a better quality of life. The study aimed to determine the relationship between dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, and self-management behaviors in Bangladeshi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with a focus on achieving optimal glycemic control, improving their quality of life. A cross-sectional study was conducted among T2DM patients from seven districts throughout Bangladesh. Data were collected using a validated semi-structured questionnaire for evaluating diabetes-related self-management behavior and existing nutrition knowledge. Dietary intakes were obtained using 24 h 3-days diet recall. Logistic regression analysis, Pearson's correlation and independent t-test were used to observe correlation and association among variables. A total of 411 patients with T2DM participated in the study, 59.4 % of patients achieved good dietary control, while 14.4 % were physically active, 49.4 % adhered well to medication, 44.0 % practiced effective self-monitoring, and 27.0 % possessed good diabetic nutrition knowledge. In fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients with a better glycemic control showed 14 times more control in their dietary intake [AOR: 14.21; 95 % CI: 5.62–35.94], and performing a good physical exercise 5 times more than the patients with high blood glucose level [AOR: 5.671; 95 % CI: 1.55–20.686]. Adherence toward medication prescription was also significantly higher among these patients. Glucose level was significantly higher among patients who had moderate [AOR: 3.367; 95 % CI: 1.29–8.73] and poor [AOR: 9.87; 95 % CI: 3.19–30.57] diabetes related nutritional knowledge. Patients with poor glycemic control consumed significantly more carbohydrates (251 ± 62 g vs 213 ± 47 g) and less dietary fiber (16.7 ± 4.5 g vs 20.5 ± 6.1 g) compared to the patients with optimum glycemic control. Our study findings suggest that, an improved level of nutrition knowledge may be beneficial to ensure optimum dietary intake, thus aid in an effective diabetes self-management behavior among Bangladeshi T2DM patients. Efforts should be made to help patient achieve optimum glycemic control, thus reduce their health-related complications and contribute to overall well-being.