Associations Between Having An Informal Caregiver, Social Support, And Self-Care Among Low-Income Adults With Poorly Controlled Diabetes

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Erin Bouldin, Assistant Professor, PhD (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: Objective: To determine whether the presence of an informal caregiver and the patient’s level of social support are associated with better diabetes self-care among adults with poorly controlled diabetes. Methods: Cross-sectional study using baseline data from 253 adults of age 30–70 with poorly controlled diabetes. Participants who reported receiving assistance with their diabetes from a friend or family member in the past month were classified as having a caregiver. We used multivariate linear and logistic regression models to evaluate the associations between having a caregiver and level of social support with five self-reported diabetes self-care behaviors: diet, foot checks, blood glucose monitoring, medications, and physical activity. Results: Compared to participants with no informal caregiver, those with an informal caregiver were significantly more likely to report moderate or high medication adherence (OR¼1.93, 95% CI: 1.07–3.49, p¼0.028). When we included social support in the model, having a caregiver was no longer significantly associated with medication adherence (OR¼1.50, 95% CI: 0.80–2.82), but social support score was (OR¼1.22, 95% CI: 1.03–1.45, p¼0.023). Discussion: Among low-income adults with poorly controlled diabetes, having both an informal caregiver and high social support for diabetes may have a beneficial effect on medication adherence, a key self-care target to improve diabetes control.

Additional Information

Publication
Bouldin, E., Trivedi, R., Reiber, G., Rosland, A., Silverman, J., Krieger, J., & Nelson, K. (2017). "Associations Between Having An Informal Caregiver, Social Support, And Self-Care Among Low-Income Adults With Poorly Controlled Diabetes." Chronic Illness 2017;13(4):239-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395317690032. Version of record available at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1742395317690032
Language: English
Date: 2017
Keywords
Caregiver, social support, diabetes, self-care, adherence, self-management

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