The cross-cultural applicability of Orem's conceptual framework

This study examined the applicability of the Orem's Theory of Self-Care with Chinese clients. The central concepts included the universal self-care behaviors (USC), health-deviation self-care behaviors (HDSC), health, and the basic conditioning factors of adults with Type II diabetes mellitus. Basic conditioning factors (BCF) were internal or external factors that affected an individual's ability to engage in self-care bahaviors (Orem, 1991). This study used a descriptive correlation design. Orem's theory of self-care guided the selection of the variables and the hypothesized outcomes. Data were collected through phone interviews of 100 Chinese at Taiwan. The average age was 57.88 (SD = 12.41). A total of 51 items on questionnaires was used to measure self-care behaviors and health. An investigator developed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics. Sixty-six percent of respondents perceived they lived with someone who helped too much and hindered their own diabetes-related self-care. A significant correlation was found between educational level and diabetes-related self-care behaviors. A significant correlation was also found between the educational level and the universal self-care behaviors. There were significant correlations among the universal self-care behaviors and diabetes-related self-care; between the universal self-care behaviors and the perception of health; between the diabetes-related self-care behaviors and the perception of health. The findings implicated cross-cultural applicability of Orem's conceptual framework.