Diabesity in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-sectional Study Exploring Self-care and Its Determinants

The purpose of this study was to describe self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, self-care management and self-care self-efficacy in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m² and adults with T2DM and BMI≥30 kg/m² ("diabesity"), and to identify their clinical and sociodemographic determinants. Self-care is one of the main treatments for adults with T2DM. However, self-care has been poorly described in people with diabesity, and differences in clinical and sociodemographic determinants of self-care between patients with diabesity and patients with T2DM and BMI<30 kg/m² have, to our knowledge, not been assessed.

A secondary analysis was performed of sociodemographic and clinical data using a multicentre, observational, cross-sectional design, wherein 540 adults diagnosed with T2DM were included in a consecutive and convenience sampling procedure.

Self-care maintenance and management were significantly lower among patients with diabesity (p<0.001 and p=0.025, respectively). Among patients with diabesity, low income (relative risk [RR]=3.27; p=0.01) and presence of diabetic neuropathy (RR=4.16; p=0.03) were strongly associated with inadequate self-care maintenance; completion of high school (RR=0.45; p=0.01), availability of a family caregiver (RR=0.52; p=0.04) and the use of insulin as the main treatment (RR=2.09; p=0.01) decreased the likelihood of inadequate self-care monitoring.

The unfavourable behavioural profile of patients with diabesity could be further worsened by their lower level of confidence in performing adequate self-care.