Coping With Diabetes During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Saudi Arabia: Lessons Learned in the Post-pandemic Era

Abstract

Background: Uncontrolled diabetes has appeared as one of the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 . Alterations in dietary habits, physical inactivity, and inability to take advice from the physician are some of the contributing factors. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia on medication accessibility, medication adherence, lifestyle, and quality of life of diabetes patients.Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among diabetic patients using a self-reported questionnaire developed on an online platform (SurveyMonkey®). The survey was distributed through social media platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram). For those who were digitally illiterate, responses were collected by family members. The targeted population was type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes patients. The analysis of the data was done using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26.Results: Four hundred forty-nine participants completed the survey. Most of the participants had type 2 diabetes (n=359; 79.8%) and were well educated (83.2%) with a high school degree and above. Complications from COVID-19 infection were reported in 12% (n=54) patients. During quarantine, 78.8% (n=354) of participants measured their blood glucose regularly. Results showed that during quarantine, 68.3% (n=311) participants skipped their scheduled follow-up whereas only 5.1% (n=23) of them took their medication inappropriately.Conclusion: This study reported good levels of self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, whereas patients' accessibility to seek healthcare services seemed to be interrupted. Further efforts are needed in the postpandemic era to empower patients' self-care behaviors and utilize telehealth models to facilitate timely access to medical care.

Coping and risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in type 2 diabetes: Does it influence metabolic control?

“…A cross-sectional observational study included patients with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in Saudi Arabia. The authors reported self-care behaviors as an adaptative coping and 78.8% measured their blood glucose and only 36% of patients reported adequate blood glucose levels (81–120 mg/dL) [ 20 ]. However, these studies were carried out without an extreme global threat that could modify coping.…”