J Korean Diabetes Assoc.  2007 Sep;31(5):435-443.

The Relationship of Family Support with Blood Glucose Control in Elderly Type 2 Diabetic Patients

• Kim ES
• Lee SJ
• Ryu OH
• Lee JY
• Yun HS
• Choi MG

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With the extension of human life span, the prevalence of diabetes in elderly population is increasing. The glycemic control is also important in elderly diabetics because the life expectancy in elderly is steadily increased. In this study, we investigated the role of family support on glycemic control in elderly type diabetic patients.
METHODS
This study was conducted with 126 type 2 diabetic patients over 60 years of age who were enrolled between March and December, 2005. The data for glycemic control, family characteristics, and family support were collected by structured questionnaire, personal interview, and medical record review. We used total supportive index scores to evaluate family support. We evaluated the relationship between family support and glycemic control.
RESULTS
Fasting plasma glucose was positively correlated with duration of diabetes (r = 0.277, P = 0.003). Postprandial 2 hour plasma glucose was negatively correlated with monthly incomes (r = -0.357, P = 0.002), assessment support (r = -0.201, P = 0.029). Hemoglobin A1c was positively correlated with duration with diabetes (r = 0.294, P = 0.002) and insulin use (r = 0.259, P = 0.004), but it was negatively correlated with diabetic self-management education (r = -0.190, P = 0.036). Adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, and monthly incomes, there were no significant associations between glycemic control and family support.
CONCLUSION
In this study, there were no significant associations between glycemic control and family support. More large prospective studies will be followed to exactly evaluate the role of family support in diabetic patients.

Keyword

Family Support; Glycemic Control; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Blood Glucose*
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Education
Family Characteristics
Fasting
Humans
Insulin
Life Expectancy
Medical Records
Prevalence
Surveys and Questionnaires
Self Care
Blood Glucose
Insulin

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