Publication:

Self-care practices among type 2 diabetes patients of urban community of coastal city of Uttara Kannada, Karnataka:

Background Diabetes mellitus requires sustained self-management, including appropriate medication use, dietary regulation, physical activity, glucose monitoring, and engagement with healthcare providers. This study assessed self-care practices among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using the diabetes self-management questionnaire-revised (DSMQ-R).

Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 189 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus registered at the Urban Primary Health Centre, Baithkol, Karwar, Karnataka, from July to December 2025. Participants were selected from the non-communicable disease register. Data were collected after informed consent using the DSMQ-R and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression in SPSS version 27.0.

Results Of the 189 participants, 93.7% were aged >40 years and 63.0% were male. Nearly half (47.1%) had diabetes for 1–5 years, and 27.0% were receiving insulin. Overall, 57.6% demonstrated moderate self-care adherence, 23.2% fair adherence, 14.3% good adherence, and 4.7% poor adherence. Diabetes duration was significantly associated with overall self-care practice scores (χ²=15.854, p=0.045). Overall self-care scores showed significant positive correlations with eating behaviour, medication-taking, glucose monitoring, cooperation with the diabetes care team, and insulin management (all p<0.001). In regression analysis, eating behaviour was the strongest positive predictor (β=0.357, p<0.001).

Conclusion Most participants demonstrated moderate self-care practices, but important gaps remained in glucose monitoring and insulin management. Structured self-care education and DSMQ-R-based counselling at the primary healthcare level may strengthen diabetes self-management.