Self‐efficacy and self‐care behavior of Malaysian patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross sectional survey

This study investigated the association between self‐efficacy and self‐care behavior to determine the degree of self‐efficacy and to examine differences in self‐efficacy according to patient variables, including state of health, of Malaysian patients with type 2 diabetes. The sample comprised 388 patients (respondents). We collected the data from December 2010 to February 2011. We found a significant positive relationship between self‐efficacy and self‐care behavior (r_s = 0.481, P < 0.001). The degree of self‐efficacy was moderately high (mean = 7.570). We found significant differences between self‐efficacy and education level (Wilk's Lambda = 0.918, F[12, 1008] = 2.779, P < 0.05), duration of diabetes (Wilk's Lambda = 0.954, F[8, 736] = 2.264, P < 0.05), other chronic conditions (Wilk's Lambda = 0.967, F[4, 383] = 3.304, P < 0.05) and diabetic complications (Wilk's Lambda = 0.963, F[4, 383] = 3.653, P < 0.05). Self‐efficacy can be used as a model to understand self‐care behavior. Individualized nursing interventions based on self‐efficacy theory should be utilized in high risk diabetic patients so as to assist and improve self‐care behavior.