article · PLoS ONE
A multicentre cross-sectional study evaluated self-care routines among 570 adults with type 2 diabetes receiving care at six public hospitals in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Data gathered through structured interviews revealed that fewer than half of the participants, specifically 46.7 percent, demonstrated good diabetes self-care practices. In addition, personal access to monitoring technology was exceptionally low, with only 11.9 percent owning a glucometer. Good self-care was significantly associated with several demographic and practical factors, including living in an urban setting, being aged between 48 and 63 years, lacking formal education, having active family support, and owning a home glucometer. Possession of a glucometer showed the strongest association with improved management. The findings highlight suboptimal self-care across the examined patient group and identify specific domestic resources and patient characteristics that healthcare providers can target to enhance management behaviours.
Effective self-management is essential to prevent severe complications from type 2 diabetes, a condition rising rapidly across Africa. By highlighting that over half of monitored patients struggle with self-care and that very few own basic monitoring tools, this research pinpoints critical gaps. It provides healthcare providers and public health organisations with evidence to prioritise family-centred support and improve local access to essential diagnostic equipment.
The abstract highlights a substantial deficit in access to home diagnostics, where owning a glucometer dramatically improved self-care yet only 11.9 percent owned one. This indicates an applied clinical demand for affordable, accessible blood glucose monitoring devices and targeted patient support tools in regional public health systems. However, as an observational study identifying clinical and behavioural correlations, it does not describe or test a specific commercial product or intervention pathway.
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BACKGROUND: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing steadily at an alarming rate. Ethiopia is placed fourth among the top five countries of the African region members of the international diabetes federation. This study aimed to determine the level of diabetes self-care practice and associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending public hospitals of the Tigray region. METHODS: An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in six selected hospitals of Tigray region from January to February 2020. Study participants were recruited using a systematic random sampling method. Diabetes self-care practice was assessed using Summary Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) assessment tool. The data were collected by trained nurses via face-to-face interview. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with self-care practices. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 570 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. The mean (SD) age of the participant was 46 (±14.6) years. Less than half (46.7%) of the participants had good diabetes self-care practices. Surprisingly, only 68 (11.9%) of the participants had access to a personal glucometer. Urban residency (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.20-2.94), age group 48-63 years (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.19-3.98), not having a formal education (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.32-5.25), having family support (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.24-2.85), and having a personal glucometer at home (AOR = 6.1, 95% CI = 2.83-13.0) were the factors associated with good diabetes self-care practices. CONCLUSION: The diabetes self-care practice in the region was found to be poor. Where factors like, being an urban resident, age group between 49-63 years, not having a formal education, and having a personal glucometer at home were associated with good self-care practices. Health care providers might have to consider actions to act on the identified factors and improve the level of self-care practices of the patients.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250462
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