Self-care practice and its predictors among adult diabetic patients on follow-up at public health care diabetic referral clinics, Debre Markos, Ethiopia

Diabetes Mellitus is a known metabolic disorder and an emerging public health problem in developing countries. The study aimed to assess patients’ self-care practice and its predictors among adult diabetic patients on follow-up at public health care diabetic referral clinics in Debre Markos Town. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to January 2021/2022, on diabetic patients who were on follow-up. After ethical clearance was obtained from the ethical review board of Debre Markos University, data were collected and checked for its completeness, then coded, and entered using EPI data version 4.4.2, and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Finally descriptive statistics were presented using tables, graphs, and texts. In addition all independent variables with P ≤ 0.2 in the bi-variable logistic regression analysis were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression with 95 % CI at 5 % margin of error and a p-value < 0.05 was declared as statistical significance. Out of the total 239 respondents 48.5 % of the study participants had good diabetes self-care practices. Diabetic patients who had college and above level of education were 1.41 times (AOR: 1.41, 95 % CI 0.54–3.65) more likely to have good self-care practice than those who were under diploma level of education. The odds of good diabetic self-care practice were 1.36 times (AOR: 1.36, 95 % CI 1.41–3.43) higher among respondents who were governmentally employed than those who are not employed. Study participants who were rural residents were 29 % (AOR: 0.71, 95 % CI 0.40–2.23) less likely to practice self-care habits than those urban residents of DM. Participants who were on the follow-up for less than one year were 47 % (AOR: 0.57, 95 % CI 0.12–2.46) less likely to have self-care practice than those patients who had been on follow-up for more than ten years. In this study the overall level of self-care practice among diabetic patients was low as compared to the previous study findings, so diabetic patients require intervention with an integrated approach through treatment as well as health education which will increase the health and well-being of the patients. In the present study employment, level of education, residency, and length of diabetic treatment were strongly associated with self-care practice of diabetes mellitus.