Factors Affecting Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Kalasin Province, Thailand: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

Optimal glycemic management is critical since it can predict all associated essential causes of death, even after accounting for other risk factors. This study investigated the factors associated with glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly self-care behaviors. An analytical cross-sectional study examined 385 patients with T2DM in 1 general and 17 community hospitals in Kalasin Province. The samples were collected using mixed-method sampling. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire with six parts and laboratory examination records between September 2021 and December 2022. Descriptive statistics (e.g., percentages and means ± SD) were used to analyze the data. The relationship between relevant factors and lack of glycemic control was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression using SPSS version 25. Results showed that most patients were female (78.18%), and the mean age was 59.84 ± 9.05 years. Additionally, a significant proportion of the patients (79.74%) had poor glycemic control. Several factors are significantly associated with poor glycemic control in patients with T2DM. These factors included subjects under the age of 60 years (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.57 to 5.54; -value < 0.001), a diabetes duration of over 10 years (OR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.90 to 8.22; -value < 0.001), poor knowledge about diabetes (OR = 3.92, 95% CI: 1.59 to 9.67; -value < 0.003), and inadequate self-care behaviors (OR = 6.12, 95% CI: 3.20 to 11.68; -value < 0.001). In conclusion, proper interventions for controlling glycemic level behaviors are necessary to improve proper self-care behaviors in patients who have a low knowledge level of T2DM, have had diabetes for over ten years, and are aged < 60 years. This approach can reduce the likelihood of experiencing disabilities and economic hardship.