Level of Health Literacy Predict the Self-Care Activities in Middle Age with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus has increased over the years. Adequate self-care activities will improve outcomes optimally. Health literacy was the important factor that affected self-care activities. The prediction of health literacy to define the capability of self-care activities need to be identified. Health literacy among adults with T2DM can be the guidance of health worker to give the intervention in improving self-care activities. To examine the health literacy as a predictor of self-care activities among T2DM. A cross-sectional analytical study conducted in 101 patients in Primary Health Center with T2DM. Methods: Self-reported questionnaires were demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, HLS-EU-16Q and SDSCA Indonesian Version. Research was conducted after ethical clearance has been approved. Multivariate analysis with hierarchical linear regression and all the data were managed by SPSS v. 20. Results: Most of the respondents were in the middle age, female (68.3%), unemployed, secondary education-graduated (45.5%), having diabetes <5 years (65.3%), with no complication and history of smoking. The middle age and health literacy related to self-care activities with P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively. The age and the presence of complication explained 9.8% and 2% of the self-care activities. The predictors that included age, the presence of complication and health literacy (P < 0.05) explained 15,3% of the variance in self-care activities among type 2 DM. Conclusion: The presence of complication, age and health literacy was significant predictors of self-care activities among people with T2DM in Indonesia.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• health literacy
• self-care activities
• self-care behaviour