Objective  To examine the situation and impact factors of self-management behaviors among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Shandong province for providing references to the improvement of self-management of T2DM patients.

  Methods  We conducted a questionnaire interview and blood glucose monitoring among 2 166 T2DM patients aged 18 – 80 years selected in urban communities and rural villages in 4 municipal regions across Shandong province from August to September 2017. Descriptive and correlation statistical analysis were performed with SPSS 20.0 software.

  Results  For all the patients, the reported rates of T2DM-related self-management were 74.5% for diet control, 75.4% for body weight control, 33.1% for medication adherence, 25.7% for self-monitoring of blood glucose, 61.6% for alcohol drinking control, 12.8% for physical exercise, and 48.8% for smoking control, respectively. The proportions of the patients reporting 5, 6 and 7 items of self-management were 20.3%, 29.6% and 28.0%. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the number of self-management behavior items was associated positively with disease course but inversely with the grade of regional economic development and the patients in urban regions conducted more self-management items than those in rural regions (P < 0.001).

  Conclusion  The study results suggest that health education and specific interventions should be implemented for the promotion of self-management among T2DM patients.