Diabetes health beliefs, self-care behaviors, and glycemic control among older adults with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

This descriptive study examined the relationships between diabetes-specific health beliefs and adherence to the diabetes regimen and glycemic control in 102 older subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Health beliefs and self-care behaviors were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Glycemic control was assessed by HbA1c values. Perceived barriers to treatment were related to adherence, while perceived severity of disease was related to glycemic control. No significant associations were found between other health belief model subscales and adherence or glycemic control. Subjects not on diabetes medication had better glycemic control than those on medication. Subjects with more recently diagnosed diabetes also had better glycemic control. Practice and research attention should include older diabetic persons' perceived barriers to performing diabetes-specific self-care behaviors and perceived severity of the disease to identify potential health beliefs that may need to be altered for improving glycemic control.