Variables Tested for Univariate Association with Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c)
| Domains | Categories (n) | Mean HbA1c (%) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-Demographics | |||
| Age (years) | 29–49 (n = 34) | 7.74 | .004 |
| 50–64 (n = 137) | 7.10 | ||
| 65–89 (n = 82) | 6.79 | ||
| Marital status | Married (n = 129) | 6.90 | .026 |
| Not married (n = 112) | 7.33 | ||
| Years since diagnosis of diabetes | ≤6 (n = 110) | 6.77 | .002 |
| >6 (n = 115) | 7.28 | ||
| Family support | |||
| Family provides help and support | Lesser extent (n = 111) | 7.39 | .003 |
| Greater extent (n = 126) | 6.82 | ||
| Family knows about diabetes | Lesser extent (n = 96) | 7.37 | .014 |
| Greater extent (n = 141) | 6.87 | ||
| Mental/physical health | |||
| Depression* | No depression (n = 145) | 6.86 | .007 |
| Atypical depression (n = 45) | 7.19 | ||
| Major depression (n = 63) | 7.53 | ||
| SF-12 MCS† | <40 (n = 58) | 7.37 | .078 |
| 40–50 (n = 53) | 7.25 | ||
| >50 (n = 102) | 6.86 | ||
| Physician-patient communication | |||
| Patient feels comfortable asking physician questions about diabetes | Lesser extent (n = 35) | 7.71 | .039 |
| Greater extent (n = 207) | 7.01 | ||
| Barriers to diabetes management | |||
| Cost of taking medication | Lesser extent (n = 169) | 6.99 | .005 |
| Greater extent (n = 39) | 7.98 | ||
| Depression interferes with taking medication | Lesser extent (n = 185) | 7.02 | .012 |
| Greater extent (n = 20) | 8.62 | ||
| Cost of following meal plan | Lesser extent (n = 172) | 6.97 | .038 |
| Greater extent (n = 42) | 7.66 | ||
| Depression interferes with following meal plan | Lesser extent (n = 193) | 7.01 | .045 |
| Greater extent (n = 21) | 8.20 | ||
| Cost of testing blood glucose | Lesser extent (n = 185) | 7.04 | .006 |
| Greater extent (n = 25) | 7.90 | ||
| Depression interferes with testing blood glucose | Lesser extent (n = 192) | 7.01 | .021 |
| Greater extent (n = 14) | 9.16 | ||
| Extent to which diabetes is considered a serious disease | Lesser extent (n = 30) | 6.62 | .006 |
| Greater extent (n = 213) | 7.18 | ||
| Confident with following meal plan as recommended | Lesser extent (n = 95) | 7.41 | .002 |
| Greater extent (n = 124) | 6.81 |
* Depression as measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Major depression was either the first or second question with a rating of ≥2 and a totalscore >10. Atypical depression was both the first 2 questions with a rating of <2 and a total score of ≥10; either the first or second question with a rating of >2 and ≤5 and a total score <10; or the last question with a rating of ≥1 and a total score of <9.
† Substantially below average health = physical component summary-12 score <40; somewhat below average health = physical component summary-12 score of 40 to <50; and above average health = physical component summary-12 score of ≥50.
SF-12, 12-item Short-Form Health Survey; MCS, mental component summary.