Self-Care Practices Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Urban and Rural Areas of Bhubaneswar, India

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a rapidly growing public health problem, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.Effective self-care practices are essential for optimal glycemic control and prevention of complications.Urbanization has introduced lifestyle and health system-related challenges that may differentially influence diabetes self-care behaviors.Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess self-care practices among adults with T2DM in Bhubaneswar and to compare these practices between urban and rural populations.Methods: A community-based study was conducted from December 2020 to September 2022 among 465 adults with T2DM using multistage cluster sampling.The study design was cross-sectional.Self-care practices were assessed using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) scale.Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and crude odds ratio were reported.Results: Poor dietary habits (p = 0.035) and exercise behaviors (p = 0.018) were significantly more prevalent among urban participants, while rural participants demonstrated better blood glucose monitoring (p = 0.001).Residence showed a significant association with multiple dimensions of self-care.Women had significantly less smoking habit (p = 0.005).Poor dietary habits (p = 0.001) were significantly more prevalent among participants with uncontrolled blood sugar, whereas poor exercise, although more prevalent, was not statistically significant (p = 0.080) in the same group.Conclusion: Urban residents exhibited poorer lifestyle-related self-care behaviors despite better healthcare access, highlighting the need for targeted urban diabetes interventions.Poor dietary and exercise habits are common lapses in self-care behavior and should be more emphasized.