Evaluation of glycemic control status and its associated factors among diabetes patients on follow-up at referral hospitals of Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study, 2020

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of the rapidly growing global health concerns of the twenty-first century ravaging millions of individuals from all across the world. The aim of this study is to evaluate glycemic control status and its associated factors among diabetes patients on follow-up at referral hospitals of Northwest Ethiopia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among diabetes patients between February and June 2020. Four hundred twenty-three randomly selected adult patients were enrolled. Using standardized questionnaire, sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical data were collected. Lipid profiles, fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin, and anthropometric indicators were determined. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed. Result: The magnitude of suboptimal glycemic control was 73.5% (95% CI: 69.29%, 77.71%) among diabetic patients. Marital status [AOR (95% CI) 0.45 (0.20, 0.99), p < 0.05], medication non-adherence [poor: AOR (95% CI) 3.55 (1.81, 6.98)], duration with diabetes mellitus [AOR (95% CI) 3.16 (1.89, 5.28), p < 0.05], type of diabetes (type II referent) [AOR (95% CI) 2.53 (1.47, 4.37), p < 0.05], and no use of other drugs [AOR (95% CI) 1.76 (1.05, 2.96), p < 0.05] were significantly associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Conclusion: A considerable number of patients with diabetes had suboptimal glycemic control. The suboptimal glycemic control has been contributed by marital status, medication non-adherence, duration with diabetes mellitus, type of diabetes and use of other drugs. These highlights the need for tailored management focusing on the identified associated factors to maintain good glycemic control.