Impact of health literacy and self-care behaviors on health-related quality of life in Iranians with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Health and quality of life outcomes Vol. 18; no. 1; p. 357
• Main Authors: Gaffari-Fam, Saber, Lotfi, Yosef, Daemi, Amin, Babazadeh, Towhid, Sarbazi, Ehsan, Dargahi-Abbasabad, Ghader, Abri, Hamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 04.11.2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Adult; Amputation; Behavior; Cardiovascular disease; Care and treatment; Chronic illnesses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Demographic variables; Demographics; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Female; Health Behavior; Health care facilities; Health education; Health literacy; Health Literacy - statistics & numerical data; Health promotion; Humans; Influence; Iran; Male; Medical records; Middle Aged; Mortality; Patient outcomes; Patients; Population; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Risk management; Self care (Health); Self Care - psychology; Self-care; Software; Surveys and Questionnaires; Type 2 diabetes; Variance; Iran; Azerbaijan; Health literacy; Iran; Self-care; Diabetes mellitus; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1477-7525; 1477-7525
• DOI: 10.1186/s12955-020-01613-8

Regarding the importance of health literacy as a key factor in self-care, appropriate understanding of health information by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is fundamental for better management of risk factors, which can also benefit their quality of life. This study aimed to describe the relationship between health literacy (HL), and self-care behaviors with health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with T2DM. A cross-sectional survey was done in Iran in 2019. Patients were recruited randomly from health centers by medical records (n = 192, 55.2% male, mean age 58.12 years). The data collection included demographic form, health literacy questionnaire, diabetes self-care behavior questionnaire, and world health organization's Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Analyses were adjusted for confounders using hierarchical regression analysis. HL as predictor variables explained 47.5% of variance in overall HRQL (p value < 0.001), reading health information was the strongest HL dimension (β = 0.478). Self-care behaviors explained an additional 13.6% of the HRQL variance. In total, 65.5% of the variation in the HRQL is explained by the HL, self-care behavior, and the demographic variables. We found that more almost two-third of the HRQL explained by the HL and self-care behaviors. Given the importance of health literacy and self-care behaviors in the quality of life in patients with T2DM, adoption of health-promoting behaviors and increasing health literacy can be beneficial for promoting quality of life among these patients.