The association between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes

Background Self-management is the cornerstone of diabetes care, however, despite the numerous recommendations available for self-management, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients' performance is suboptimal in China. This study aimed to explore the association between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors among Chinese T2DM patients, which might provide evidence to inform effective self-management interventions for these patients. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a multi-stage stratified randomized sampling in Shandong Province, China. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form (DES-SF) was used to measure patients' self-efficacy to manage diabetes. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to explore the observed classes of self-management behaviors (dietary control, physical exercise, regular medication and self-monitoring of blood glucose). A two-class solution for self-management behaviors was tested to be the fittest based on LCA; we labelled active and inactive self-management groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to examine the associations between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors. Results A total of 2166 T2DM patients were included in the analysis. The mean DES-SF score was 31.9 (standard deviation: 5.2). The estimated proportions of T2DM in the active and inactive groups were 54.8% and 45.2%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression showed that higher DES-SF score was significantly associated with higher possibility of active self-management behaviors (odds ratio = 1.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.08). Conclusions Self-efficacy in managing diabetes is associated with self-management behaviors among Chinese T2DM patients. To improve self-management behaviors, multiple strategies should be conducted to improve patients' self-efficacy.