Self-care practice and glycaemic control amongst adults with diabetes at the Jimma University Specialized Hospital in south-west Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The main goal in diabetes care is to improve the patient's quality of life, to maintain satisfactory metabolic control and to retain minimal complications caused by diabetes mellitus (DM). Thus, this study has assessed self-care practice and glycaemic control amongst adults with diabetes mellitus. SETTING: A facility-based study amongst the diabetic follow-up clinic at Jimma University Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 01 April to 30 April 30 2010. A total of 343 diabetic patients were selected using a systematic sampling method. The data were collected by structured questionnaires and a medical card review; anthropometric measurement was done by trained nurses. RESULTS: The study showed that 53% of the respondents had diabetes related knowledge. The study also found that 64% of the respondents were physically less active, and 17% of the respondents were walking on foot for less than 30 minutes per a day. Only 18.1% of the respondents were able to control their Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) to level below 126 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: The present study illustrates that the level of knowledge about diabetes and self-care practices amongst diabetic patients were meager. In addition, it showed that respondents’ level of physical activity, their educational status, and the dose of oral hypoglycaemic agents taken by the respondents significantly affected glycaemic control.