Factors Associated with Health Behaviors of Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Chumphon Khet Udomsakdi Hospital, Chumphon Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey research aimed to examine the factors associated with health behaviors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at Chumphon Khet Udomsakdi Hospital, Chumphon Province, Thailand. The study included 249 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended the outpatient clinic at Chumphon Khet Udomsakdi Hospital between October 1 and December 31, 2024. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of personal characteristics, predisposing factors, enabling factors, reinforcing factors, and health behaviors related to diabetes management. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to summarize the data. The associations between categorical demographic variables and health behavior levels (low, moderate, and high) were analyzed using the Chi-squared test. The relationships between scores for predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors and health behavior scores were examined using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The results showed that most participants had low levels of health behaviors for diabetes management. In addition, the scores for predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors were significantly associated with health behavior scores. Perceived diabetes knowledge demonstrated a moderate positive correlation with health behavior scores (r=0.42, 95% CI=0.25-0.55). Perceived self-efficacy in diabetes management showed a relatively high positive correlation (r=0.54, 95% CI=0.32-0.62). Access to diabetes-related health information was moderately positively correlated with health behavior scores (r=0.50, 95% CI=0.35-0.65), whereas social support demonstrated a relatively high positive correlation (r=0.57, 95% CI=0.30-0.65). The findings provide baseline information for planning interventions to promote health behaviors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Interventions should emphasize improving diabetes-related knowledge, enhancing self-efficacy, increasing access to diabetes-related health information, and strengthening social support to develop appropriate health promotion strategies for patients and the general population.