Eid-al-Fitr festivity and Ramadan fasting attitude among individuals with diabetes from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to assess the attitude of Saudi and Pakistani individuals with diabetes regarding Eid-al-Fitr festivities, exploring diabetes care during the month of Ramadan and these individuals’ dietary patterns on Eid day.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingJeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Karachi (Pakistan).ParticipantsOf the total 405 subjects, 204 individuals with diabetes from Saudi Arabia (SA) and 201 from Pakistan (Pak) were enrolled.Data collection and analysisThis survey-based study was carried out in SA and Pak after Eid-al-Fitr 2020. An online questionnaire was circulated via various social media platforms. The data analyses were performed using SPSS V.26.ResultsThere were 80 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 325 subjects with type 2 DM. Among our study subjects, 73 were on insulin, 260 were on oral antidiabetics (OADs) and 72 were taking both OADs and insulin. Two-thirds of the participants, 276 (68%) visited their physicians before Ramadan. Many participants (175, 43.2%) broke their fast a day or more because of diabetes. Many participants consumed sugary food on Eid day. The use of chocolates, sugary foods and fresh juices on Eid-al-Fitr was higher in Saudi subjects than in Pakistani ones (p