Health Beliefs, Self-Care Behaviors and Quality of Life in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

AIM: Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong metabolic disease accompanied by acute and chronic complications and requires continuous medical care. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the diabetes self-management educational intervention given to individuals with type 2 diabetes on their health beliefs, self-care activities, and quality of life. METHOD: A single group randomized quasi-experimental study with the pre- and post-intervention design was conducted in two family health centers (n=60). The self-care activities, health beliefs, and quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes were investigated. RESULTS: The mean pre- and post-intervention blood glucose subscale scores were 1.57±0.91 and 3.22±1.06, respectively. The mean pre- and post-intervention social/vocational issues subscale scores were 29.26±5.54 and 33.26±3.19, respectively. The mean scores of the quality of life increased in the primary school graduates and in those who previously had no diabetes intervention after the intervention program. It was determined that the mean body mass index values of the participants decreased after the intervention. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to organize and implement periodic diabetes self-management educational intervention programs in family health centers and in centers providing diabetes health care to improve health beliefs and to increase self-care activities and quality of life in individuals with diabetes.