Self-Efficacy, Problem Solving, and Social-Environmental Support Are Associated With Diabetes Self-Management Behaviors

OBJECTIVE To evaluate associations between psychosocial and social-environmental variables and diabetes self-management, and diabetes control. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Baseline data from a type 2 diabetes self-management randomized trial with 463 adults having elevated BMI (M = 34.8 kg/m2) were used to investigate relations among demographic, psychosocial, and social-environmental variables; dietary, exercise, and medication-taking behaviors; and biologic outcomes. RESULTS Self-efficacy, problem solving, and social-environmental support were independently associated with diet and exercise, increasing the variance accounted for by 23 and 19%, respectively. Only diet contributed to explained variance in BMI (β = −0.17, P = 0.0003) and self-rated health status (β = 0.25, P < 0.0001); and only medication-taking behaviors contributed to lipid ratio (total–to–HDL) (β = −0.20, P = 0.0001) and A1C (β = −0.21, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Interventions should focus on enhancing self-efficacy, problem solving, and social-environmental support to improve self-management of diabetes.