Association of self-efficacy and self-care with glycemic control in diabetes

Abstract

Successful daily self-management of diabetes is essential to the achievement of positive health outcomes. Basic to successful self-management of any disease is a sense of self-efficacy, or the feeling of confidence in one's self-management abilities. This study examined the association of these variables on the achievement of glycemic control, specifically A1C levels. This study used a retrospective cohort design to evaluate the predictive relationship of self-efficacy and self-care behaviors on A1C level. After Institutional Review Board approval was obtained, 60 medical records were accessed of people ≥ 18 years of age with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were seen consecutively in a primary care practice located in an urban setting. Data analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships between global measures of self-efficacy and self-care and A1C levels. However, there were two questions from the Stanford Diabetes Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Scale found to be significantly related to A1C (P < 0.009). Those whose diabetes was well controlled were confident in selecting appropriate foods when hungry and in their ability to exercise for 15-30 minutes, four to five times per week. These findings, if replicated in future studies, may provide clinicians an opportunity to develop and test targeted self-management interventions yielding the highest probability of improved glycemic control.