Study of Self-monitoring Blood Glucose Behavior and Related Factors in persons

Purpose: This study was aimed to explore self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) among individuals with diabetes and its related factors.

Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional random sampling design. Participants were selected from patients of the Diabetes Shared Care Network in a teaching hospital in eastern Taiwan and administered with questionnaires including healthy belief, social support, and self-monitoring behavior of blood glucose.

Results: (1) Among these 153 subjects, 146(95.4%) knew that they had to examine their blood glucose at home. However, there were 7 (4.6%) subjects did not know. Most of patients (136, 88.2%) received the information from doctors and nurses. (2) Less than half of the participants (43.8%) self-monitored their blood glucose regularly. One thirds (34%) even never examined their blood glucose and 11 (7.2%) did only once. The average frequency of SMBG for 37 (58.7%) subjects was twice per week. (3) The primary factor of why they didn't examine their blood glucose at home was that they didn't think SMBG was necessary and the costs were too high. Some participants (n=7) didn't know how to operate the blood glucose test machine and the other 7(13.4%) did not know they needed to monitor the blood glucose at home. (4) The SMBG behaviors were insufficient. Participants described that SMBG was only carried out when they felt uncomfortable. (5) The health belief, social support, and the behavior of SMBG were shown their correlations one another, respectively (r=0.70; p<0.05). (6) The important predictive factors social support and the health belief were accounted for the SMBG behavior 49.7% and 11.4%, respectively.

Conclusion: The results were indicated to provide guidance for SMBG education plans and continuous nursing interventions in persons with diabetes.