Abstract 14432: Self-Care Clustering in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

Poor glycemic control in type 1 diabetes (T1D) may result in cardiovascular disease. Self-care, or the process of maintaining health through health-promoting behaviors and managing illnesses when changes are detected, may improve glycemic control and outcomes. However, self-care in T1D is ill-defined. We examined how self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management cluster in adults with T1D and identified unique characteristics of individuals within each cluster. Adults ( n =200, 27% Black, 61% female) with T1D (median[IQR] age: 35 [22] years, T1D duration: 19 [19] years, insulin pump use: 68%) reported personal, clinical and social determinants of health (SDH; modified PRAPARE tool, scored 0-22; higher is worse) and the Self-Care of Diabetes Inventory (3 self-care scales: maintenance, monitoring, management; 1 confidence scale; scored 0-100; scores ≥ 70 are adequate). Cluster analysis was performed with self-care domains as criteria via Ward’s method. To compare clusters, Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Three self-care clusters were found and labeled: Mastery (n= 70, 70% White, insulin pump use: 63%, median [IQR] age: 41 [28] years, T1D: 22 [22] years, Self-Care Maintenance: 85.4 [10.4], Monitoring: 82.4 [8.8], Management: 72.2 [13.9], Confidence: 95.5 [11.4], SDH: 2 [2]); Inconsistent (n= 112, 75% White, Insulin Pump use: 75%, median[IQR] age: 34 [22] years, T1D: 19 [18] years, Self-Care Maintenance: 79.2 [12.5], Monitoring: 67.7 [11.8], Management: 58.3 [13.9], Confidence: 88.6 [15.9], SDH: 3 [2]); and Novice (n= 18, 39% White, Insulin pump use: 44%, median[IQR] age: 25 [9] years, T1D: 14 [10] years, Self-Care Maintenance: 53.1 [9.9], Monitoring: 52.9 [13.2], Management: 44.4 [9.7], Confidence: 64.8 [27.8], SDH: 6 [7]). Significant differences were found for age (p<.001), race (p<.01), insulin pump use (p<.05), Self-Care Maintenance (p<.001), Self-Care Monitoring (p<.001), Self-Care Management (p<.001), Self-Care Confidence (p<.001), and SDH (p<.01). No differences were found in T1D duration. Three distinct profiles of self-care were found in this sample of adults with T1D. Older patients using insulin pumps with fewer SDH risk were more likely to master self-care.