Diabetes in transition: Factors affecting diabetes self -management in college students

Adolescents and young adults often have poor diabetes self-management practices when they enter college and begin independently managing their disease. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine selected factors affecting diabetes self-management in older adolescents and young adults living in a college environment.;A total of 32 English speaking men and women with diabetes, but otherwise healthy, took part in the study. Self-report questionnaires were used to capture demographic data, diabetes self-management practices, diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy and diabetes related distress. The subject's most recent hemoglobin A1c level was recorded from medical records or obtained for this study when necessary.;The findings revealed that these college students typically received diabetes care from endocrinologists. Students did not visit their diabetes care provider quarterly, and rarely used college health services for diabetes care. Diabetes self-management practices varied widely and were not associated with glycemic control. Contemporary insulin management and meal planning regimens were not consistently associated with well-controlled diabetes. Several notable gender differences were identified. College men exercised more often and had glycemic control levels in or near the normal range, but had diminished levels of self-efficacy as the duration of diabetes progressed beyond five years. College women with diabetes demonstrated poorer glycemic control, poorer health perceptions, and higher levels of diabetes-related distress than the men. Diabetes distress had an impact on self-efficacy in the women, but not in the men. Coping and goal setting were the areas of self-efficacy most likely to be impacted by diabetes related distress in the women. An awareness of these findings may be useful to diabetes educators who work with older adolescents and young adults.