Factors Influencing Optimal Glucose Control among Type II Diabetes Patients: From the Health Behaviour Models’ Perspective

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a global health issue and one of the top ten causes of mortality, requiring focused research for understanding and implementing appropriate methods of diabetes management. Among the many approaches to managing optimal glucose control, embarking on the factors that influence engaging in health behaviours, such as managing glucose control, plays a pertinent role in addressing effective glucose control management. Objective: The present study has attempted to understand the influence of various factors (at the individual level and social level) on optimal glycemic control, which is considered one of the efficient parameters of diabetes management, utilizing the predominant health behaviour models- health belief model, theory of planned behaviour and socio-ecological model. Methods: This correlation study was conducted among 266 individuals from the Indian state of Karnataka. The purposive sampling technique was adopted to select participants over 18 years and those suffering from Type II diabetes. Results: The Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between perceived severity and HbA1c value and a inverse correlation with interpersonal relations and community domains. The multiple linear regression analysis results showed the statistically significant predictors of perceived severity, perceived benefits and interpersonal domains on glucose control. Conclusion: The study results put forward the influence of individual-level factors such as perceived severity, perceived benefits, and interpersonal factors in achieving optimal glucose control among type II diabetes patients. The study also highlights the importance of creating more awareness, especially in the Indian context with very low health literacy, which could help enhance the perceived benefits of diabetes specific health behaviours.