Self-Care Behaviours and Glycemic Control among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Aim: To explore self-care behaviours and glycemic control among adults with type 2 diabetes. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for the study. Methods: The revised summary of diabetes mellitus questionnaire was used to collect data and glycated haemaglobin. A random sample comprising of 350 Omani adults with type 2 diabetes were selected between January- June 2010. Structural equation modelling and ANOVA were used for analysis. Results/Findings: One-third of the adults with type 2 diabetes followed diet, foot care and medications (on an average of 3 days/7 days) compared to half percentage of them adhering to foot care. 27% of the total variance in self-car activities was accounted by diet, 32% by exercise and 17% by medications. Blood glucose monitoring, foot care, and smoking and HbA1c accounted for 60%, 78%, and 51% variances. The standardized path coefficients of diet, exercise, smoking, foot care, blood sugar monitoring and medications had a significantly positive influence on self-care behaviours. Conclusion: There were inadequate self-care behaviours among the majority of adults with type 2 diabetes with poor glycaemic control. Nurses should use the self-care management model when designing tailored educational interventions to enhance glycemic control.