Food Consumption and A1C in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

This descriptive study is to compare  personal characteristics and  food consumption of type 2 diabetic patients with A1C <7% and A1C ³7% in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The 346 samples were recruited from 3 community hospitals with the highest number of diabetic patients in the province were randomized in the diabetes clinic of the community hospitals by simple sampling method. The instruments used were a characteristics questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U test. The results showed that patients were female 76.60% the mean age was 60.41 years (S.D. = 11.00), and having A1C <7% were 33.80%. Two groups of diabetes patients had statistically significantly different occupations, BMI, waist circumference, and sedentary behavior (p-value < 0.050). The foods that are regularly consumed were rice, rice noodle, instant coffee and soy milk, fish and pork, and cooked vegetable as soup or eaten with chili paste. The food types that both groups consumed statistically significant differences. The food types that were differently consumed by the two groups were pork curry, oil/crackling, and boiled beans (p-value < 0.050). Moreover, it is recommended that diabetic patients should control their food consumption by reducing starchy foods, instant coffee, oily pork, and adding more fiber foods.