The relationships among self-efficacy, health literacy, self-care and glycemic control in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Purpose – This study aims to identify the relationships among self-efficacy, health literacy, self-care and glycemic control in older people with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Design/methodology/approach – This study was a descriptive analytics correlational study with a cross- sectional design. The sampling method was purposive sampling involving 68 older people with type 2 DM. Findings – The results showed that self-efficacy, health literacy and self-care correlated with glycemic control at significant levels of p = 0.020, p = 0.002 and p = 0.022, respectively. Practical implications – Nurses should help older people with type 2 DM in maintaining their self-efficacy and self-care and increasing their health literacy to ensure their glycemic control is in normal state.
Originality/value – This study showed that self-care, self-efficacy and health literacy had a significant correlation with glycemic control in older people with type 2 DM. It indicates that the better self-care, self-efficacy and health literacy of patients, the more likely the patients’ blood HbA1C level to be in the normal range.