OBJECTIVES:

METHODS: we used a16 item questionnaire that has been developed by Schmitt et al to assess self-care activities associated with glycaemic control in King Fahad University hospital in Dammam. This instrument contains four subscales, ‘Glucose Management’ (GM), ‘Dietary Control’ (DC), ‘Physical Activity’ (PA), and ‘Health-Care Use’ (HU), as well as a ‘Sum Scale’ (SS).We assessed socio-demographic and medical characteristics using survey and medical record data,including: age, sex, self-reported race/ethnicity, educational attainment. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS

RESULTS: Among 30 eligible respondents, 56% were aged abover 60, 32% were aged between 41 and 60 years. 60% were women and 40% were men. 28% with intermediate education, 20 % graduated from uiversities. Age, educationl and working status showed statstical significance in diatery control at 0.01, 0.03, 0.012 repectively. obesity statsticaly corrlated with using health care use and the insulin therapy show significant relationship with glucose managment.

CONCLUSIONS: Age had an positive influence on patients’ dietary control which may present that older patients showed higher rates of dietary control than younger patients. Another factor affecting dietary control is level of education which indicates more educated patients were associated with increased dietary control. In this research, it was found out that there was a relationship between insulin therapy and glucose management. Thus, patients who took insulin alone or insulin combined with oral medications had more glucose management than patients who took only oral medications. Only obesity was affecting heath care use, it indicates that obese patients were less likely to use health care services. Patients who exercise 3 times or more a week associated with more physical activity than those who exercise once or less a week