Associated patient demographic characteristics and disease-related self-care behaviors with diabetes: a mediation model

Objective: The burden of diabetes is increasing rapidly in Turkey; however, there is insufficient information regarding the interrelated factors of diabetes. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating associated characteristics and self-care behaviors of patients with diabetes. Methods: Path analysis was used to test interrelated factors of diabetes. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional, population-based study (Turkey Health Survey) from 2014. The determined sample size was 9,740 households, and 26,075 individuals were interviewed. There were 19,129 persons who reported having diabetes. Age and gender characteristics and disease-related self-care behaviors of individuals were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. Goodness-of-fit indices were used to assess model fit. Results: The results demonstrated that patient characteristics, self-care behaviors, and diabetes are causally interrelated (p < 0.0001). Blood glucose monitoring mediated the interrelationships between patient demographic characteristics and diabetes. The model fit indices indicated a good fit of the path model to the data (goodness-of-fit index = 0.96; comparative fit index = 0.89; incremental fit index = 0.89; normed fit index = 0.89). The fight against the increasing prevalence of diabetes mandates enhancing self-care behaviors of individuals with diabetes, including regular blood glucose monitoring and the inculcation of healthy dietary habits. Conclusions: The results can guide health policy makers to promote patient-centered management of diabetes in the age of the escalating burden of this disease.