Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of disability and a major contributor to healthcare costs in most countries. Patient education to facilitate diabetes self-care is a cornerstone of the quality of diabetes care. Adherence to diabetes dietary self-care helps achieve a sense of general well-being and minimize diabetes complications. Patients with type 2 diabetes were surveyed to evaluate demographic, psychological, and environmental factors affecting perceived six dietary self-care behaviors to their prescribed regimens. A cross-sectional evaluation was performed in adult outpatients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes who had received at least one individualized dietitian-led nutrition session. Adherence to six dietary self-care behaviors was assessed by using the Diabetes Self-Care Behavior (DSCB) questionnaire and the influencing factors of each behavior were investigated by using the Factors Affecting Diabetes Self-Care (FADSC) questionnaire. Odd ratios derived from logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictive factors resulting in adherence to dietary self-care behaviors and related factors. A total of 200 patients were completed in this study and the average age was 60.2±12.1 years old. We found that women were more likely to follow reducing fat intake (237 %) and eating more fiber foods (192 %). Patients who received more than 4 nutrition education sessions had better adherence to four different dietary self-care behaviors. Patients with more family support were more likely to have lower fat and more fiber foods. Patients with more self-efficacy showed following meal plans better. Patients’ adherence to six dietary self-care behaviors prescribed for diabetes varied. Many factors are important for supporting adherence to dietary self-care behaviors. The need for individualization of patient characteristics in diabetes nutrition education is the key point to adherence to recommended dietary self-care behaviors.
C. Ouyang: None.
