The Relationship between Illness Perceptions and Self-care Behavior of Patients at High Risk of Diabetic Foot

Objectives: To describe the illness perceptions and the level of self-care behavior of patients at high risk of diabetic foot, and explore the relationship between their illness perceptions and self-care behavior. Methods: One hundred patients at high risk of diabetic foot in Guangzhou were recruited by convenient sampling. Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, Diabetes Self Care Scale and Foot Self Care Scale were used to measure demographic data, illness perceptions, self-care behavior and foot self-care behavior in subjects, respectively. All the data were analyzed by Software SPSS17.0. Results: The illness identity subscale was positively correlated to the score of self-care behavior and foot self-care behavior, the behavior of blood glucose monitoring, foot care and preventing or dealing with low and high blood (p<0.05); Timeline acute/ chronic and illness coherence dimension were positively correlated to the score of the behavior of blood glucose monitoring, foot care and preventing or dealing with low and high blood (p<0.01); The consequences dimension was negatively correlated to the behavior of exercise (p<0.05); The personal control dimension was positively correlated to the behavior of exercise (p<0.05). Conclusions: The illness perceptions can affect patients’ self-care behavior. Those who recognized more related symptoms to the illness, would take better self-care behavior. Especially the behavior of blood glucose monitoring, foot care and preventing or dealing with low or high blood. Those with better illness coherence and timeline acute/chronic had better behavior of blood glucose monitoring, foot care and preventing or dealing with low or high blood; Patients who perceived more serious consequences of the illness, the less behavior of exercise they took. Those with better personal control had better behavior of exercise.