Objective  To analyze the quality of life (QoL) and its influencing factors among diabetes mellitus patients two years after undergoing a community-based diabetes self-management and to provide references for improving medical service to diabetes.

  Methods  From August to October of 2013, 1 653 diabetic patients were recruited in 84 communities in three cities (Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing) and three provinces (Jiangsu, Guangdong and Zhejiang) to carry out a 2-month diabetes self-management group intervention. A follow-up survey was conducted during September – December 2015 to analyze changes in QoL and its influencing factors before and after the self-management intervention. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used in QoL evaluation.

  Results  Among the 1 653 diabetic patients recruited in 2013, 1 603 (96.98%) completed a baseline survey, of which, 1 299 patients were followed up and 304 (18.96%) were lost to follow-up in 2015. Compared to those before the intervention, the patients′ median (quartile range, QR) of SF-36 physical health score increased significantly two years after the self-management intervention (76.50 23.75 vs. 75.00 25.00, Z = – 2.53; P = 0.011), but the patients′ median (QR) of SF-36 mental health score was not significantly different (78.44 25.03 vs. 78.44 23.31, P > 0.05). The results of unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that two years after receiving the diabetes self-management intervention, the patients suffering from diabetes 5 years or more and smoking were less likely to have an increased physical health score, while those with an improved self-efficacy were more likely to have an increased physical health score; the patients with following characteristics were less likely to have an increased mental health score: female, with medication reimbursement by medical insurance for urban workers, having complication of other chronic disease, smoking, and being capable of self-injection of insulin or not needing insulin injection.

  Conclusion  The quality of life was improved to a certain extent among a group of community diabetic patients in China two years after a self-management intervention and the improvement was influenced by the patients′ gender, major payer of the medication cost, disease course, comorbidity of other chronic diseases, self-efficacy, smoking, and self-injection of insulin.