Amazon Amandaba-Sociodemographic Factors, Health Literacy, Biochemical Parameters and Self-Care as Predictors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Victória Brioso Tavares; Aline Lobato de Farias; Amanda Suzane Alves da Silva; Josiel de Souza E Souza; Hilton Pereira da Silva; Maria do Socorro Castelo Branco de Oliveira Bastos; João Simão de Melo-Neto

doi:10.3390/ijerph20043082

Amazon Amandaba-Sociodemographic Factors, Health Literacy, Biochemical Parameters and Self-Care as Predictors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 9;20(4):3082. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043082.

Authors

Victória Brioso Tavares¹, Aline Lobato de Farias¹, Amanda Suzane Alves da Silva², Josiel de Souza E Souza², Hilton Pereira da Silva¹, Maria do Socorro Castelo Branco de Oliveira Bastos¹, João Simão de Melo-Neto¹

Affiliations

¹ Postgraduate Program in Health, Environment and Society in the Amazon, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém 66050-160, Brazil.
² Faculty of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy (FFTO), Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém 66075-110, Brazil.

Abstract

Background: Health literacy (HL) and its domains (functional, critical, and communicative) appear to be related to self-care adherence in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). This study aimed to verify if sociodemographic variables are predictors of HL, if HL and the sociodemographic factors affect biochemical parameters together, and if HL domains are predictors of self-care in DM2.

Methods: We used the baseline assessment data from 199 participants ≥ 30 years in the project, "Amandaba na Amazônia: Culture Circles as a Strategy to Encourage Self-care for DM in Primary Health Care," which took place in November and December 2021.

Results: In the HL predictor analysis, women (p = 0.024) and higher education (p = 0.005) were predictors of better functional HL. The predictors of biochemical parameters were: glycated hemoglobin control with low critical HL (p = 0.008); total cholesterol control with female sex (p = 0.004), and low critical HL (p = 0.024); low-density lipoprotein control with female sex (p = 0.027), and low critical HL (p = 0.007); high-density lipoprotein control with female sex (p = 0.001); triglyceride control with low Functional HL (p = 0.039); high levels of microalbuminuria with female sex (p = 0.014). A low critical HL was a predictor of a lower specific diet (p = 0.002) and a low total HL of low medication care (p = 0.027) in analyses of HL domains as predictors of self-care.

Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors can be used to predict HL, and HL can predict biochemical parameters and self-care.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; glycemic control; health literacy; primary health care; self-care.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / drug therapy
Female
Health Literacy*
Humans
Male
Self Care
Sociodemographic Factors

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-Capes-Finance Code 001 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) grant number: CNPq/MS/SAPS/DEPROS No. 27/2020 and had received the support of PROPESP/UFPA (PAPQ) for publication.