The impact of self-care education on self-esteem, self-care behavior, and blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes attending rural health centers in Gorgan City in 2023

Background: Self-care is defined as a strategy to adapt the events and stresses of life, which improves health and includes special activities that alleviate the symptoms of the disease. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a self-care program on the self-esteem of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending rural health centers in Gorgan City in 2023. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-and post-test intervention study was conducted using a multistage sampling technique in patients with T2DM and prediabetes attending health centers in rural health centers of Gorgan City. An educational program was conducted on 68 patients divided into two groups of diabetes and pre-diabetes (34 patients in each group). Data were collected using a personal information checklist, standard self-care questionnaires, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Follow-up was conducted two months after the intervention. The data were described using mean and standard deviation, and analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square, Independent T-test, and Paired T-test. Results: The mean age in the T2DM group was 58 ±7.26, and 60.29 ± 9.47 years in the pre-diabetes group. The mean fasting blood sugar levels in the T2DM and pre-diabetes groups after the intervention were 131.24 and 100.94, respectively, which showed a significant statistical difference (P-Value=0.02). The mean self-esteem scores in the T2DM and pre-diabetes groups after the intervention also showed a significant statistical difference (P-Value =0.006). Conclusion: In the current study, the present intervention led to the improvement of self-esteem and self-care scores in people with T2DM and pre-diabetes.