Impact of self-management group activities on self-efficacy and its influencing factors among diabetic patients

Objective To analyze changes in self-efficacy of diabetic patients before and after self-management group activities and potential influencing factors for the changes and to provide evidences for improving self-management group activities.Methods A total of 1 059 diabetic patients who participated in 2014 annual activities of China Initiative for Diabetes Excellence Training Course were enrolled as the subjects.Questionnaire surveys on self-efficacy status were conducted before and after the implementation of self-management group activities.Multivariate regression analysis was performed to analyze influence factors for changes in self-efficacy.Results The score of self-efficacy(101.19±18.91) after the last activity of self-management group was significantly higher than that(85.88±20.99) before the first activity(P<0.001).The scores for dietary, sports, medication, self-monitoring of blood glucose, foot care, prevention and solution of high and low blood glucose were all improved significantly after the self-management group activities(P<0.001).Multivariate analysis results showed there was a positive correlation between frequency of attending self-management group activities and self-efficacy changes(β=0.87), physician's participation in the community and self-efficacy changes(β=5.69), as well as between perceived useful knowledge and skills from the activities and self-efficacy changes(β=7.16).There was a negative correlation between perceived difficulties in understanding the contents of education activity and self-efficacy change (β=-3.84).Conclusion The self-management group activity could improve self-efficacy of diabetic patients.Frequency of attending self-management group activities, perceived difficulty in education content, usefulness of the knowledge provided by activities, and participation of community physicians in the activities are major factors influencing self-efficacy of diabetes patients involved in the self-management group activities.