Adult diabetic clients' self-care activities

The purpose of this study was to describe self-care activities of adult diabetic clients. Self-care, as conceptualized by Orem (1971, 1980), provided the framework for the study. A total of 106 subjects completed and returned a mailed questionnaire. The Diabetes Self-Care Report, used to collect data, was designed by the researcher to elicit a self-report of diabetes self-care performed in the home. Five areas of diabetes self-care (diet, exercise, medication, hygiene, and monitoring level of diabetic control) were assessed in three categories (knowledge, skill, and motivation). Frequency counts were utilized to tabulate reported difficulties. The areas of diet and exercise contained more reported difficulties than the other areas of diabetes self-care. The category of motivation presented more reported problems for the sample than did the categories of knowledge and skill.