Diabetes Health Literacy, Self-Care Behaviors, and Associated Factors Among Adult Diabetes Patients Attending Follow-Up Care at Public Hospitals in the East Arsi Zone, Oromia Region
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Date
2025-06-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Diabetes health literacy and self-care behavior play an important role in avoiding
and controlling complications of diabetes mellitus and are positively associated with good
glycemic control and quality of life improvement. However, we lack evidence describing their
magnitude in the East Arsi zone of the Oromia regional state of Ethiopia.
Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the magnitude of diabetes health literacy, self-care
behavior, and associated factors among adult diabetes patients attending follow-up care at
selected public hospitals in East Arsi zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2025.
Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study was employed in five public hospitals
found in East Arsi zone, which was selected by simple random sampling, with a sample size of
468 adult diabetes patients. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed
using binary logistic regression to assess associations between dependent and independent
variables.
Result: More than half, 270 (57.7%) of the study participants had low diabetes health literacy
level (DHL), and 260(55.6%) had poor self-care behavior. Being male (AOR=0.602,
95%CI:0.401-0.905), low level of education (AOR=0.519, 95%CI: 0.283-0.949), living in rural
areas (AOR=1.619, 95%CI: 1.055-2.485), had not attended diabetes education (AOR=1.588,
95%CI:1.004-2.513) and receiving diabetes information only from one source (AOR=0.629,
95%CI: 0.414-0.955), were significantly associated with low DHL. Again, younger
(AOR=3.397,95%CI:1.407-11.224), lives in rural (AOR=0.489, 95%CI:0.316-0.755), never
having been exposed to DM education (AOR=1.796, 95% CI: 1.111-2.901) and a monthly
income of <1000 (AOR=0.234, 95% CI: 0.092-0.591) and 2001-3000 (AOR=0.531, 95% CI:
0.142-0.869) were significantly associated with poor diabetes self-care behavior.
Conclusion: Large number of the study participant had low diabetes health literacy level and
poor self-care behavior; improving and monitoring awareness of diabetes patient will improve
further.
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Keywords
Diabetes mellitus, health literacy, self-care behavior