Abstract
BACKGROUND: The global prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 29-79 years was found to be 10.5%. It is a global public health threat with a rising trend in morbidity and mortality. Poor glycemic control (GC) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major determinant of diabetes-related complications. There are limited data on GC and associated factors among patients with T2DM in South West Region, Cameroon. AIM: To assess GC and identify contributing factors among patients with T2DM in a regional hospital in South West Region, Cameroon. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2022 to July 2022 among 131 participants in Limbe Regional Hospital who were selected by convenience. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured by ion-exchange chromatography. Sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle data were collected, entered into Excel, and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22 for analysis. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between explanatory variables and GC. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age was 56 ± 5.1 years. Eighty-eight (67.2%) patients were female. The mean HbA1c was 8.8% ± 1.8%. Poor GC (HbA1c ≥ 7%) was registered in 106 (80.9%; 95% confidence interval: 73.1%-87.3%) participants. Lack of self-monitoring of blood glucose at home was associated with poor GC (adjusted odds ratio: 3.858, 95% confidence interval: 1.262-11.800; P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with T2DM had poor GC. Absence of self-monitoring of blood glucose at home was the main contributing factor for poor GC.