Diabetes Self-Care Activities and Health-Related Quality-of-Life of individuals with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Shantou, China

OBJECTIVE: To assess diabetes self-care behaviours and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), in China. METHODS: Individuals with T1DM underwent face-to-face interviews over a 7-day questionnaire period. The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) was used to assess self-care behaviours. EQ-5D-3L was used to quantify HRQoL. RESULTS: Of self-care activities, individuals (n = 322) were most likely to adhere to treatment and least likely to perform foot care. A total of 78.9% of participants did not examine their feet and 33.9% of participants did not monitor blood glucose during the questionnaire period. Moderate/severe anxiety or depression was reported by 28.6% of participants; 23.9% reported moderate/severe pain or discomfort. The individual’s level of diabetes education, insulin injection regimen and HbA1c were independently associated with total SDSCA score. Household income and age were independently associated with EQ-5D index. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing diabetes education in individuals and implementing strict insulin regimens could improve self-care behaviours in people with T1DM in China.