Assessment of barriers to the dietary adherence among type 2 diabetic patients in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study Authors Sukaina Shabbir School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4162-3007 Mehreen Amer School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan Saba Mughal School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan Thamina Rashid National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Habiba Department of Food Sciences Lab, School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.10782 Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes, Dietary adherence, Barriers, Non-adherence, Dietary advice Abstract Objective: To assess the common barriers responsible for non-adherence to dietary recommendations among type 2 diabetic patients. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 4, 2021, to March 6, 2022, at the National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised type 2 diabetes patients of either gender aged 18-80 years who had previously been given recommended dietary advice. Dietary barriers were assessed using a 27-item validated questionnaire, and the subjects were compared in terms of age and diabetes duration. Anthropometric measurements and laboratory parameters were also measured. Data were analysed using Stata 17. Results: Of the 312 subjects, 234(75%) were females. The overall mean age was 52.2±11.2 years, and mean body mass index was 27.2±5.5kg/m2. The reliability of the questionnaire was established with Cronbach’s alpha 0.89. Factor analysis yielded 8 common barriers; lack of knowledge about dietary recommendations (variance: 14.7%), situational barrier (variance: 10.7%), lack of family support (variance: 9.5%), stress-related eating problems (variance: 9.1%), boring and monotonous diet (variance: 8.0%), expensive and ineffective diet recommended (variance: 6.5%), work conditions/don’t like food in diet (variance: 5.5%), and feeling hungry and weak (variance: 5.4%). The total variation explained by all the 8 factors was 69.4%. Conclusion: Lack of knowledge regarding dietary recommendations was reported to be the most common barrier towards recommended dietary adherence. Key Words: Diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes, Dietary adherence, Barriers, Non-adherence, Dietary advice. Author Biographies Sukaina Shabbir, School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan Lecturer at School of Public health, Dow University of health Sciences Mehreen Amer, School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan Lecturer at the School of Public Health Saba Mughal, School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Camous, Karachi, Pakistan Biostatistician, Lecturer at the School of public health Thamina Rashid, National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan National Insitute of Diabetes & Endocrinology, DUHS Downloads Full Text Article Published 2024-08-23 How to Cite Shabbir, S., Amer, M., Mughal, S., Rashid, T., & Habiba. (2024). Assessment of barriers to the dietary adherence among type 2 diabetic patients in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 74(9), 1638–1644. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.10782 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 74 No. 9 (2024): SEPTEMBER Section RESEARCH ARTICLE License Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.