Social Support as a Strategy to Overcome Challenges in Diabetes Self-Care Management

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a long-term disease that needs intensive self-management measures that include medication adherence, checking of blood sugar, calorie intake, physical exercise, and care of the feet. It has been acknowledged that social support provided by family, peers, and healthcare providers is one of the factors that can help to strengthen self-care behavior and positively affect diabetes outcomes. Aim: The study aimed to assess the role of social support in overcoming challenges in diabetes self-care management among patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Swat. Methodology: The design used was a descriptive cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 100 adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes recruited in the study using convenience sampling from the tertiary care hospital. The structured questionnaire that was used to gather data included demographic characteristics, self-care practices, and social support measures. The level of correlation between social support and self-care behaviors was determined using descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentages, and Pearson’s coefficient of correlation. Results: Results showed that 60% of the participants have moderate social support, whereas 25 percent have high social support. Most of the participants had moderate self-care practices with blood glucose monitoring and medication adherence, having greater adherence levels than physical activity and foot care. There were also significant positive relationships between overall social support and self-care behaviors (r = 0.60, p < 0.001), and emotional support demonstrated the best correlation. Conclusion: Social support is critical in promoting self-management with diabetes. It is suggested that interventions based on emotional, informational, and practical support of family, peers, and healthcare providers can enhance adherence and health outcomes.