Mediating role diet self-efficacy plays in the relationship between social support and diet self-management for patients with type 2 diabetes

• Main Authors: Li Yang, Kun Li, Yan Liang, Qiuli Zhao, Dan Cui, Xuemei Zhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021-01-01
• Series: Archives of Public Health
• Subjects: Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Self efficacy; Diet; Self-management; Social support
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00533-3

Abstract Background It has previously been established that patients who have strong barriers to their diet self-management are more likely to have weak social support; however, the key mechanisms underlying the association between these two variables have not yet been established. This study aims to examine the potential role that diet self-efficacy plays in the relationship between social support and diet behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods It was a cross-sectional survey. Three hundred-eighty patients diagnosed with T2DM were recruited for this study from five community health centers in China. The Chronic Disease Resource Scale (CIRS), Cardiac Diet Self-efficacy Scale (CDSE), and Food Control Behavior Scale (FCBS) were used to estimate participants’ utilization of social resources, diet self-efficacy, and diet self-management, respectively. The data were analyzed utilizing structural equation modelling. Results The results suggest that both higher levels of social support and diet self-efficacy are related to higher levels of diet self-management. The mediating effect that diet self-efficacy has on the relationship between social support and diet self-management was significant (β = .30, p < .05), explaining 55.68% of the total effect of social support on diet self-management. Conclusions Diet self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the association between social support and diet behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.