Eating behavior among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Optimal diet adherence can lead to better glycemic control. However, evidence on eating behavior is generally scarce. The present study aimed to assess the eating behavior of adults with type 2 diabetes. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 400 adults with T2DM from May 2022 to February 2023. For each patient, we conducted a thorough interview specifying the number of meals and snacks per day and any special eating habits for each patient as well as a biological parameters such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The average age of our population was 58.56 ± 8.9 years with a female predominance of 66%. Overweight was noted in 77.8% of patients. In our population 1/5 did not accept their diabetes. Nutritional education was received by 71% of patients and adherence to diet was noted in 32.3% of them. The majority of diabetic patients ate 3 meals a day and 12.8% only 2 meals a day. Prandial hyperphagia and night eating syndrome were respectively noted in 16.3% and 22% of patients. Among the 400 participants, snacking between main meals was noted in 38.8% of cases including 3% who ate 3 snacks a day and 49.5% who eat 1 to 2 snacks a day. Diabetes was poorly controlled in most of our patients with an average HbA1c of 10.28 ± 2%. Nutritional education for diabetic patients must be maintained at every consultation to optimal diet adherence and to improve glycemic control.