Emmanuel Gabriel & Raheemat Adedoyin Adebiyi

Like many other nations, Nigeria has seen an increase in the prevalence of diabetes, which is partly attributed to growing urbanization, changing lifestyles, and altering dietary patterns. The management of diabetes requires a multifaceted approach, with nutrition playing a key role. This research aims to evaluate the body mass index and dietary pattern of diabetic patients attending state hospital Ijaye, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria. One hundred (100) diabetic patients receiving treatment at state hospital Ijaye, Abeokuta Ogun, Nigeria were selected for this study using exhaustive sampling technique. Information about their socio-demographic, and economic backgrounds was collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Additionally, the researchers measured height and weight to evaluate their body mass index. To understand their dietary pattern, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was administered. The results show that most of the participants (67%) were female, between 46-55 years (40%). In addition, 95% had formal education, practiced Christian religion (56%), and were Yoruba (90%). This study also shows that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was higher among female (67%) adults compared to their male (33%) counterparts. The Nutritional Status of the respondents shows that 32% of the respondents had normal BMI while 25%, 38% and 5 % were overweight, obese and underweight respectively. Additionally, significant association (p<0.05) was observed between BMI and gender, age and occupation of the respondents. Intake of starchy food was high. Therefore, it is important to advice diabetic patients to improve their diets and encourage them to adopt good eating habits in order to prevent diabetes and its complications. keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Nutrition, Food, Nutritional Status, Dietary pattern0150