Factors Influencing Self-Care Behaviors of Diabetic Patients in Diabetes Mellitus Clinic, Changhan Hospital, Roi et Province, Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this study was to find out the factors influencing self-care behaviors of diabetic patients treated at the Diabetes MeUitus Clinic, Changhan Hospital, Roi Et Province. It was a cross-sectional study with simple random sampling among 315 samples. Data collection was in December 2009. Descriptive statistics was employed (frequency, percentage, means, standard deviation) and Chi Square Test was used to find out the relationship among social-demographic characteristics, howledge and attitude about diabetes melitus, and self-care behaviors of diabetic patients. The result found that majority of the samples were females (72.1%), aged more than 60 years old (39.7%), manied (73.3%), finished primary school or lower (88.3%), were farmers (77.1%) with household monthly income and expenses of less than 2,000 baht (56.5% and 44.8% respectively). The duration of their diabetes illness was less than 5 years (53.3%). Sixty-two point five percent of the samples had no family members with diabetes mellitus history, and 66.7% had people around to motivate them to control diabetes. Ninety one point one percent of the samples received diabetes mellitus related information from public health officers. The samples had good level of knowledge about diabetes mellitus, had generally good attitudes toward the illness, as well as very good level of self-care behaviors. The current study found statistically sigrhcant relationship at the level of <0.05 between the level of self- care behaviors and knowledge, age, current occupation, household monthly expense, years of suffering from diabetes mellitus, and having farmly members suffering from the illness. The study result provided fruitful recommendations for future planning on the prevention of diabetes mellitus.