Effective Factors on Dimension of Fatigue and Type 2 Diabete

Introduction: The complications and diabetes- related difficulties, like fatigue, are among the major hindrances in improving health behaviors such as participating in diabetes self-care programs. This hindrance, not only affects the patients’ quality of life, but also increases the side-effects of the disease. Therefore, considering the significance of fatigue and its consequences on controlling diabetes, and regarding the significant role of the community health nurses in treating and educating these patients, the present study sought to investigate into the factors influencing fatigue level in type 2 diabetes patients who visited Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center for treatment.Materials & Methods: The present study used a qualitative descriptive design. The participants of the study were 195 type 2 diabetes patients supported by Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center. They were selected through available sampling method. The instrument of the data collection was a written questionnaire consisting of two sections of demographic information part and a short form of a Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI-SF). Every single participant was briefly informed about the nature and the objectives of the study. The questionnaires were filled out by the researcher through interviewing the patients upon their agreement to cooperate. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 16. The significant value of all the tests in the study was determined as p ˂0.05. Results: The statistical analysis indicated that 85.1% of the research samples suffered from fatigue. There was a significant statistical difference (p˂0.05) between females’ (23.22 ± 17.49) and males’ (13.24 ± 17.73) fatigue mean score. Among the investigated factors, there was a significant statistical association between fatigue mean total score and body mass index, (F= 9.521, df= 2, p ˂0.05), physical activity (t=3.90, df=190, p˂0.05), and the effects of nephropathy, neuropathy, and foot ulcer history.Conclusion: Fatigue in diabetes is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon which can be controlled and treated effectively, if it is evaluated appropriately and the factors causing it are investigated.