Associations Between Health Care Factors and Self-Reported Health Status Among Individuals with Diabetes: Results from a Community Assessment

To identify the influence of select health care variables on self-reported physical and mental health status of individuals with diabetes. Data from the 2006 Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment (BVHSA) were analyzed. Aspects of health care were defined through exploratory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to create relationships between health care aspects, personal characteristics of the participants, and self-reported physical and mental health status of individuals with diabetes. The significant predictors of self-reported physical health status were the number of co-morbid chronic diseases (beta = 0.27, P = .002), and medical system access (beta = -0.20, P = .035). The significant predictor of self-reported mental health status was the number of co-morbid chronic diseases (beta = 0.35, P < .001). Self-reported physical (beta = 0.27, P = .028) and mental (beta = 0.29, P = .020) health status were both predictive of physician communication of mental health issues. Communication about mental health issues strongly relates to both self-reported physical and mental health status and should be an important part of physicians' care for individuals with diabetes. Further, the nuances of medical system access for diabetes care should be further examined.