Background: Self care of diabetes is essential for control of disease and im-provement of quality of patients' life. The aim of this study was to assess factors influencing self-care practice of patients in urban area of Urmia, Northwest of Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 diabetic patients were randomly selected from eight healthcare centers in Urmia City in 2010. Data collection tools was a questionnaire included data on demographic characteristics, diabetes statues, and self-care practice. Patients' self-care practice was classified to good, moderate, and poor levels. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to exam the association between self-care practice and clinical and behavioral factors. Spearman's rho correlation was used to examine the relation between self-care practice and control of glycemia.
Results: The patients' self-care practice was good in 15.1%, moderate in 58.7%, and poor in 26.2%. There was a significant association between education (P=0.030), duration of disease (P=0.04), and treatment intensity (P=0.001) and self-care practice of patients.
Conclusion: Despite the important role of self-care practice in management of diabetes and preventing its serious complications, most patients who have medical record in health care centers had inappropriate self-care practice especially in SMBG, which has critical role in controlling diabetes.