QUALIDADE DE VIDA RELACIONADA À SAÚDE DE PESSOAS COM DIABETES MELLITUS HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH DIABETES MELLITUS CALIDAD DE VIDA RELACIONADA A LA SALUD DE PERSONAS CON DIABETES MELLITUS Pesquisa

Diabetes mellitus is a highly prevalent disease that is linked to high rates of morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to evaluate the healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) of people with diabetes mellitus and its relation to gender, age, time spent since the diagnosis of diabetes and the practice of physical activity. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that evaluates HRQL based on SF-36 questionnaire. Among the 170 participants, 74,1% were female, 52,9% were married, and the means (standard deviation) of age and time of diagnosis of the disease were respectively 61.8 years (11.3) and 15.9 years (7.9). The SF-36 components means ranged from 46,2 (Physical function) to 84,8 (Social function). Men have shown better assessment of HRQOL. The practice of physical activity was associated with a better HRQOL. There was no association between HRQL, age, marital status and years spent since the diagnosis of diabetes. We conclude that the study participants had greater loss in components that assess physical health.