The Impact of Accurate Knowledge on the Adaption of People with Diabetes

Abstract

On average, 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes in the United States each year (CDC, 2020). That’s why it’s imperative to understand the factors associated with successful self-management and treatment adherence for individuals with diabetes. Current literature supports the connections found between the accuracy and source of diabetes-related knowledge as well as their association with relevant health outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy/empowerment and diabetes-related distress; Heise et al., 2022); however, minimal research has been conducted that considers the complex relationships between self-efficacy and distress. With increasing access to technology, it’s also apparent that diabetes knowledge is readily available to patients and yet the accuracy of this information can elicit confusion for individuals with diabetes when they attempt to utilize this information within their self-management program. This study sought to help identify knowledge to positively improve diabetes care and aid health professionals to better support their patients. Thus, the relationship between diabetes-specific knowledge, empowerment, and distress were examined, with most findings having significant variation between the accuracy of participant knowledge and its association with empowerment and distress. The results of this study highlight the alarming discrepancies found in the relevant diabetes information that individuals have, impacting their ability to successfully manage their disease. The information gathered from this study promotes future research and analyses for more integrative approaches to diabetes education as well as improvements to the health system more broadly (e.g., healthcare providers and diabetes education courses).