Self-Care Practices among Diabetic Patients in Selected Sub-Metropolitan Cities of Nepal

Aims: Diabetes self-care requires a multipronged approach, wherein the diabetic patient has a significant role to play. This study was undertaken to explore self-care practices of diabetic patients residing in two sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal.

Study Design: A cross-sectional comparative study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out from March 2019 to June 2020.

Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was done among 415 diabetic patients aged above 25 years. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A structured questionnaire was adopted and making necessary contextual to collect the data. Descriptive statistics along with association between means, t-tests and ANOVA were calculated and a p < 0.05 was considered significant for data analysis.

Results: Regarding the diabetes self-care activities in different domains with respect to sociodemographic independent variables, blood sugar testing and foot care was a statistically significant associated with education i.e. (p= 0.018) and (p=0.003) simultaneously. The study also reveals that specific diet, physical activity/exercise and blood sugar testing are significantly associated with HbA1c of diabetic patients. i.e. (p=0.003), (p=0.004) and (p=0.037) respectively.

Conclusion: The general awareness regarding both general and specific diet, physical activity/exercise, blood sugar testing, foot care and medications were poor in our study. More strategies need to be explored to make sure patients adhere to self-care activities.