The Effects of Elderly Diabetic Patients’ Self-Care Agency on their Self-Care Behavior

Abstract

Background/Objectives: To survey elderly diabetes mellitus patients' self-care agency and self-care behavior, analyze the relationship between the two, and provide information for programs to improve elderly diabetes mellitus patients' selfcare behavior. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The subjects of this study were 222 elderly diabetes mellitus patients aged over 60 who had been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and were under treatment for the disease, and were using a senior welfare center. Data were collected from September to November, 2013. Findings: Among the patients' demographic characteristics, age, whether to have a spouse, economic status, and cohabitation type made a difference in the score of self-care agency; age, whether to have a spouse, economic status, cohabitation type, and smoking made a difference in the score of self-care behavior. Among the diabetes-related characteristics, diabetes duration and diabetes education made a difference in the score of self-care agency; diabetes duration, self-monitoring of blood glucose, and diabetes education made a difference in the score of self-care behavior. Elderly diabetes mellitus patients' self-care agency was in a significant positive correlation with their self-care behavior (r=.82, p<.001). That is, self-care behavior was higher when self-care agency was high. According to the results of hierarchical regression analysis, the explanatory power of self-care agency was 77% (p<.001), showing that self-care agency is a powerful influencing variable for self-care behavior. Applications/ Improvements: The findings of this study suggest that programs for enhancing elderly diabetes mellitus patients' selfcare agency should be developed and applied in order to improve their self-care behavior.