Predictors of Quality of Life in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Northern Philippines
TL;DR
Findings indicate that specific self-care behaviors, particularly glucose management and dietary control, contribute to selected QoL domains, with physical health showing the greatest explained variance.
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic condition that can substantially affect quality of life (QoL) across physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. Although self-care management and self-efficacy are recognized as important factors in diabetes outcomes, their contributions to QoL remain insufficiently examined in community-based populations. This study examined the predictive contributions of self-care management ability and self-efficacy to QoL among adults with T2DM in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. A cross-sectional predictive correlational design was employed among 150 adults with T2DM selected through total enumeration. Data were collected using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ), Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES), and WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics and MM-estimator robust multiple regression with 1,000-resample bootstrapped confidence intervals were used following assessment of regression assumptions. Results showed significant regression models for physical health (Robust R² = 0.255, p < 0.001), psychological health (Robust R² = 0.114, p = 0.009), and social relationships (Robust R² = 0.194, p < 0.001). Dietary control (β = 0.232, p = 0.026) and glucose management (β = 0.257, p = 0.021) significantly predicted physical health. For psychological health, glucose management was a significant predictor (β = 0.254, p = 0.040), whereas dietary control was not significant (β = 0.219, p = 0.058). For social relationships, dietary control (β = 0.225, p = 0.030) and glucose management (β = 0.292, p = 0.009) were significant positive predictors. The environmental model was not significant (Robust R² = 0.105, p = 0.063). Findings indicate that specific self-care behaviors, particularly glucose management and dietary control, contribute to selected QoL domains, with physical health showing the greatest explained variance. Structural, socioeconomic, and contextual factors beyond individual self-care behaviors may more strongly influence environmental QoL.