Maryam Shabany Hamedan, Marzieh Shabani Hamedan and Zeinabe sadegh Torki
Aims and objectives: Diabetes mellitus and its chronic complications have put a huge burden on the health care system. The diabetic patients with foot problems compared with other diabetic patients create more critical problems for the health care system. This study was done for the purpose of studying the relation between foot-care self-efficacy beliefs and self care behavior.
Method: This study was a descriptive-correlation type and was done as sectional which sampling lasted about one month. 70 diabetic patients participated in this study with a convenience sampling method. Data collection was done by clinical-demographic questionnaire and foot care self efficacy beliefs and self care behavior scales. Data analysis was done by spss15.
Result: Pearson correlation was performed and showed a negative correlation between FCCS scores and preventive behavior scores (r=0.44, p ≤ 0.001) and virtually no correlation at all between FCCS scores and potentially damaging behaviors (r=0.15, p=0.19). Also there was a relation between age and preventive behavior (F=6.42, P=0.03) and duration of diabetes and preventive behavior (F=9.65, P ≤ 0.001). Furthermore there was a relation between education level and potentially damaging behaviors (F=2.65, P=0.04).
Discussion and conclusion: Regarding these results, foot care self-efficacy beliefs and self care behaviors have a weak relationship so self-efficacy belief is directly related to self care behavior. Also patients with diabetes, especially older diabetic patients with low education level should be advised to perform self care behavior and assessed for self efficacy beliefs because they have many problems in self care.