Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Social support and lifestyle vs. medical diabetes self-management in the diabetes study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

Rosland AM, Piette JD, Lyles CR, Parker MM, Moffet HH, Adler NE, Schillinger D, Karter AJ. Social support and lifestyle vs. medical diabetes self-management in the diabetes study of Northern California (DISTANCE). Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. 2014 Dec 1; 48(3):438-47.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: In chronic illness self-care, social support may influence some health behaviors more than others. PURPOSE: Examine social support's association with seven individual chronic illness self-management behaviors: two healthy "lifestyle" behaviors (physical activity, diet) and five more highly skilled and diabetes-specific (medical) behaviors (checking feet, oral medication adherence, insulin adherence, self-monitored blood glucose, primary care appointment attendance). METHODS: Using cross-sectional administrative and survey data from 13,366 patients with type 2 diabetes, Poisson regression models estimated the adjusted relative risks (ARR) of practicing each behavior at higher vs lower levels of social support. RESULTS: Higher emotional support and social network scores were significantly associated with increased ARR of both lifestyle behaviors. Both social support measures were also associated with increased ARR for checking feet. Neither measure was significantly associated with other medical behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that social support diminished in importance as self-care progresses from lifestyle to more skilled "medical" behaviors.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.