Self-care behaviors in people living with type 2 diabetes

Esmaeil Mehraeen; Mohammad Mehrtak; Amirali Karimi; Vahideh Aghamohammadi; Ali AkbarShekarchi; Jebraeil Farzi; Zahra Nazeri; Bagher Hayati; Khadijeh Nasiri

Esmaeil Mehraeen Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences
Mohammad Mehrtak Assistant Professor of Healthcare Services Management, School of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran, E-mail: mehrtak@gmail.com
Amirali Karimi School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, E-mail: aa-karimi@student.tums.ac.ir
Vahideh Aghamohammadi Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Nutrition, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran, E-mail: v_agamohammadi@yahoo.com
Ali AkbarShekarchi Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran, E-mail: shekarchiaa@gmail.com
Jebraeil Farzi Department of Health Information Technology, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran, E-mail: jebrailfarzi@yahoo.com
Zahra Nazeri Department of Health Information Management, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, E-mail: nazeri.zahra65@gmail.com
Bagher Hayati Department of Environmental Health, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran, E-mail: bagher.hayati90@gmail.com
Khadijeh Nasiri Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran, E-mail: Khadije.nasiri@yahoo.com

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes; Self-care; Self-management; Self-care behavior; Lifestyle

Abstract

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that impairs the body's ability to use carbohydrates in foods for energy. Self-care is an effective strategy to improve the status and control of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The present study aimed to identify self-care behaviors in people living with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We carried out a narrative review in Februrary 2021 using the PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases. After evaluating the title and abstract to select the most relevant studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles underwent quality assessment. The full text of selected articles was then thoroughly read to extract the essential findings.

Results: We identified 43 eligible records. In this study, a set of self-care behaviors was identified for individuals with type 2 diabetes in five main groups: diet, exercise, blood sugar monitoring, medication adherence, and other self-care behaviors. Based on the study's findings, the majority of reviewed studies (n=37, 86.0%) referred to diet and exercise as an effective self-care behavior for type 2 diabetes.

Conclusion: Refusal to engage with self-care increases the probability of complications of the disease, low quality of life, and also imposes high costs on the individual and the economy of society. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on self-care, especially behavior change and lifestyle modification of people with type 2 diabetes, rather than investing only in the clinical treatment of this disease.