Health-related quality of life in diabetic patients and controls without diabetes in refugee camps in the Gaza strip: a cross-sectional study
2006

Quality of Life in Diabetic Patients in Gaza Refugee Camps

Sample size: 394 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Eljedi Ashraf, Mikolajczyk Rafael T, Kraemer Alexander, Laaser Ulrich

Primary Institution: The Islamic University of Gaza

Hypothesis

How does diabetes affect health-related quality of life in refugee camps in the Gaza strip?

Conclusion

Diabetic patients living in refugee camps in the Gaza strip have a significantly reduced quality of life compared to non-diabetic controls.

Supporting Evidence

  • Diabetic patients scored significantly lower in all WHOQOL-BREF domains compared to controls.
  • The largest differences were observed in physical health and psychological domains.
  • Women and older patients experienced a more severe impact on their quality of life.

Takeaway

People with diabetes living in refugee camps feel much worse than those without diabetes, especially women and older people.

Methodology

The study compared health-related quality of life between 197 diabetic patients and 197 matched controls using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

Potential Biases

Patients treated at UNRWA clinics may have worse health conditions than those receiving care from other providers.

Limitations

The sample may not represent all diabetic patients in the camps, and there may be underreporting of complications.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 197 diabetic patients and 197 controls, matched by age and gender, primarily from three refugee camps.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Confidence Interval

95% CI for domain scores

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-6-268

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