Identification of Family Factors That Affect Self-Management Behaviors Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Descriptive Study in Chinese Communities

INTRODUCTION: In the past 30 years, the prevalence of diabetes in China has increased from 0.67% to 11.6%. Self-management behaviors (SMBs) are significant to improve health outcomes for diabetics. However, little is known about self-management experiences of Chinese diabetic patients. The purpose of this study was to explore family factors affecting SMBs. METHODOLOGY: A qualitative descriptive study was used. Purposive samples were recruited from Chinese communities. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and audio-recordings transcripts were analyzed using content analysis methods. RESULTS: Twenty participants were interviewed, including 8 with well-controlled HbA1c while 12 were poorly controlled. Facilitators that promote patients' SMBs were responsibility toward children and commitment to spouse; barriers that hinder patients' SMBs were family experiences about starvation, seeking harmony-eating in a big family, living in an "empty nest," and family financial burden. DISCUSSION: This study provides insight into SMBs of Chinese diabetic patients. Professionals can develop tailored interventions in a Chinese cultural context according to patients' perceptions of family responsibility, early experience, activities, and resources.