Kugbey Nuworza, Oppong Asante Kwaku, Adulai Korkor
Department of Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Volta Region, Ghana.
Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
BMC Res Notes. 2017 Aug 10;10(1):381. doi: 10.1186/s13104-017-2707-5.
Self-care practices among persons living with type-2 diabetes are very crucial in diabetes manages as poor self-care results in complications. However, little research exists within the Ghanaian context. This study examined whether type-2 diabetes patients' illness perception and diabetes knowledge significantly predict diabetes self-care practices.
A cross-sectional survey design was employed and a total of 160 participants (45 males and 115 females) were sampled from a general hospital in Accra. A self-administered questionnaire measuring illness perception, diabetes knowledge and diabetes self-care practices as well as demographic checklist were used collect data.
Results showed that illness perception and diabetes knowledge significantly predicted overall diabetes self-care practices. Analysis of domain specific self-care practices showed that patients' diet was significantly predicted by illness perception and diabetes knowledge. Exercise was significantly predicted by only illness perception while blood sugar testing and diabetes foot-care were significantly predicted by diabetes knowledge.
Cognitive and emotional representation of diabetes and diabetes knowledge are key determinants of patients' diabetes self-care practices. It is therefore important that appropriate psychosocial interventions are developed to help patients' adherence to recommended self-care practices.
2型糖尿病患者的自我护理行为在糖尿病管理中至关重要，因为自我护理不佳会导致并发症。然而，在加纳背景下的相关研究较少。本研究调查了2型糖尿病患者的疾病认知和糖尿病知识是否能显著预测糖尿病自我护理行为。
采用横断面调查设计，从阿克拉的一家综合医院抽取了160名参与者（45名男性和115名女性）。使用一份自我管理的问卷来测量疾病认知、糖尿病知识和糖尿病自我护理行为，以及一份人口统计学清单来收集数据。
结果表明，疾病认知和糖尿病知识显著预测了总体糖尿病自我护理行为。对特定领域自我护理行为的分析表明，疾病认知和糖尿病知识显著预测了患者的饮食。只有疾病认知显著预测了运动，而血糖检测和糖尿病足部护理则由糖尿病知识显著预测。
糖尿病的认知和情感表征以及糖尿病知识是患者糖尿病自我护理行为的关键决定因素。因此，开发适当的心理社会干预措施以帮助患者坚持推荐的自我护理行为非常重要。
