Factors Related to Dementia Preventive Self-Management Behaviors Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Dementia resulting from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complications significantly impacts older adults' quality of life, increasing suffering for both patients and their families. Numerous studies have identified self-management as a key factor in adopting appropriate health behaviors to prevent diabetes-related complications. However, internationally, there is insufficient empirical evidence for individual and family process factors predicting dementia prevention behaviors in older adults with T2DM. Therefore, we aimed to explore how dementia-preventive self-management behaviors (outcome dimension) are related to contextual and process dimensions based on the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory (IFSMT).

Design: A cross-sectional observational study.

Methods: The 444 older adults with T2DM from six community hospitals in Chiang Mai completed valid and reliable self-reported measures, including a Socio-demographic Questionnaire, the Dementia Prevention of Individual and Family Self-Management Process Questionnaire (DP-IFSM-PQ), and the Dementia Preventive Self-Management Behavior Questionnaire (DPSMBQ). Data were analyzed using bivariate correlations, partial correlations, and multivariate linear regression with the stepwise method.

Results: Most participants exhibited high levels of individual and family self-management processes and dementia-preventive self-management behaviors. Bivariate and partial correlation analyses revealed a significant association between DP-IFSM-PQ and DPSMBQ scores. Stepwise multiple linear regression identified self-efficacy, a subdomain of DP-IFSM-PQ, as the strongest predictor of DPSMBQ scores. Other significant predictors included awareness of dementia prevention among family members, neighbors, and the community; family income sufficiency; history of comorbidities; distance to the hospital; and knowledge and beliefs (a subdomain of the DP-IFSM-PQ). The regression model was statistically significant (F [1, 437] = 46.662, p = 0.000, Adjusted R² = 0.382).

Conclusions: Self-efficacy and knowledge and beliefs, based on IFSMT, are key predictors of dementia-preventive behaviors among older adults with T2DM. These predictors could be used as potential intervention components in a subsequent co-design study for promoting dementia preventive self-management behaviors in older adults with T2DM. The results also reinforce the importance of family members and healthcare providers in supporting older adults with T2DM to enhance their dementia prevention behaviors.