The Effects of Self-Efficacy and Self-Perceived Health Status on Glycemic Control and the Use of Adult Preventive Health Examinations

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a type of chronic disease that requires lifelong self-care management. Regular health examinations or monitoring (i.e., adult preventive health examinations) are recommended for improving health awareness and preventing complications. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between participants’ characteristics, self-efficacy, self-perceived health status and glycemic control and the use of adult preventive health examinations. Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. A total of 131 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were recruited from a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. Data including demographic information, the Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale (SRAHP), the Self-Perceptions of Health Scale (SPHS), glycemic control and the use of adult preventive health examinations, were collected. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and logistic regression were performed using SPSS 17.0. Results: The average age of participants was 65 years old (standard deviation, SD = 11.3), 68 were male (51.9%), and the majority graduated from junior high school or less (n = 58, 44.3%), were married (n = 112, 77.9%), and reported having children (n = 122, 93.1%). The average duration of diabetes was 9.8 years (SD = 7.7, range 0.5 ~ 40). The average value of HbA1C was 8.08% (SD = 1.80, range 5.6 ~ 15.8), in which 39 participants (29.8%) demonstrated effective glycemic control (HbA1C ＜ 7%). A logistic regression model showed that only self-perceived health status was a significant predictor of effective glycemic control (odds ratio, OR = 1.14, p ＜ 0.05). A final logistic regression model showed that age (OR = 1.07, p ＜ 0.05) and HbA1C values (OR = 0.77, p ＜ 0.05) were significant predictors of having adult health preventiveexaminations. Discussion and conclusion: Regular preventive health examinations should be encouraged in people with T2DM to raise awareness regarding their health conditions.