The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-management in patients with type 2 diabetics

Abstract

Aims: The research was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of self-management in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive type of study was conducted between 21 December 2020 and 1 April 2021. It was performed with 378 individuals with type 2 diabetes attending the endocrinology clinic and outpatients' department of a government hospital who agreed to participate in the research. In the collection of data, a Patient Identification Form, Visual Analog Scales (an Anxiety VAS and a Stress VAS), and the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) were used. The Wilcoxon test, Independent Sample t test, One-Way Anova and binary logistic regression were used in the analysis of data. Results: The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) total mean score of the individuals with type 2 diabetes participating in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic was 5.25 ± 1.04. Their anxiety total mean score was 0.32 ± 1.56, and their total mean stress score was 7.06 ± 1.62. Being male, over the age of 65, married and having a diagnosis of diabetes for 6-11 years, increased smoking, the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced physical activity (not walking) and support obtained from health professionals, and increased anxiety and stress levels were found to be risk factors affecting diabetic self-management. Conclusions: The findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on the selfmanagement levels of individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Lifestyles Under Lockdown: A Scoping Review of International Studies on Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Behaviors During COVID-19

“…Three studies examined global diabetes self-care scores. One study reported no change (37) and two studies (59,60) reported decreased total diabetes self-care scores. Silva-Tinoco et al (59) found that higher pre-pandemic self-care was related to fewer problems with self-care during the pandemic.…”

“…Cheng et al (33) reported increased sleep and Hasegawa et al (38) reported increased sleep duration. One study reported decreased sleep quality (60). Four studies reported that the modal response was no changes in sleep (35,45,48,58).…”

“…Hansel et al (47) and Sacre et al (36) reported no change in alcohol consumption. For smoking, Utli et al (60) and Ghosh et al (45) reported no smoking as the modal response.…”

“…Silva-Tinoco et al (59) found that higher pre-pandemic self-care was related to fewer problems with self-care during the pandemic. Utli et al (60) found that being a man, smoker, and older in age, and having more anxiety and stress and decreased support from healthcare providers, predicted lower global self-care.…”

Correlations between Diabetes Mellitus Self-Care Activities and Glycaemic Control in the Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Since this study was performed during the very early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania, it emphasises the importance of optimal management of DM to avoid uncontrolled hyperglycaemia and future complications [ 34 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on Romanian society [ 35 ]; this has important implications for patients with DM, because the DSMQ was negatively influenced by the pandemic in other studies [ 36 ]. Patients with DM are among the most vulnerable to severity and mortality from COVID-19 [ 37 ] and are experiencing challenges in accessing healthcare facilities and clinic visits; this is contributing to the increase in their cardiometabolic complications [ 38 ].…”