Abstract:
Background: Diabetic management rarely targets family support as a means of promoting diabetes self-care behaviour among adults.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of family support on medication adherence and glycemic control of type 2 diabetic out-patient in a tertiary hospital in south-eastern Nigeria.
Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional survey conducted on type 2 diabetes out-patients attending that were Endocrinology clinic at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) between October 2013 and April 2014. The Modified Diabetes Family Behavioural Checklist (MDFBC-13) was used to assess family support (patient reported) while for medication adherence; the MMAS-8 (Morisky medication Adherence Scale) was used and Fasting blood glucose readings were obtained from patients case files. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) window version 16.0. Statistical significance for analysis was defined as p value less than 0.05.
Results: A total of 250 patients participated in the study. Family support correlated with educational status (p= 0.007) but not with adherence or glycemic. Medication adherence was generally poor as 1.6% of the patients were adherent. Patients who were moderately (medium) adherent and those with low adherents were 5.2% and 93.2% respectively. Adherence was correlated with marital status (r= 0.170) and it was statistically significant (p= 0.007). glycemic control was poor because no difference was observed between the final mean FBG and the initial mean FBG. No statistically significance was found between FBG percentage change and demographic characteristic (age, gender, level of education, marital status).
Conclusion: Family support had negative influence on medication adherence and glycemic control.
