Glycemic control, perceived social support and self-care of individuals with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the degree of perceived social support and its relationship with self-care and glycemic control of type 2 diabetic individuals. Methodology: Cross-sectional research, carried out with 154 diabetic individuals over the age of 18, monitored in health units. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, self-care and social support variables related to glycemic control were analyzed. For the analysis of generic variables, a simple frequency study was carried out and the measures of central tendency were calculated. To check the association of comorbidities with glycemic control, the Chi-square test was used. Results: Participants achieved good scores in some self-care activities and, despite having little social support, they were satisfied. When associating self-care activities with the social support received, there was no statistically significant association. Conclusion: There was an association between some comorbidities, such as hypertension, obesity, kidney disease, depression and the use of insulin with glycemic control, which reinforces the need to increasingly encourage the search for control among individuals with type 2 diabetes.