Belief in Self Linked to Better Diabetes Control

Belief in yourself and your own skills may help to improve your diabetes management. A recent study found that people who had high self-efficacy had better control of their diabetes. Self-efficacy is the belief and confidence in a person’s own ability to complete a task or reach a goal. Specifically, people with high scores on self-efficacy were better at managing their diet, exercise, medication, and blood sugar testing, and those with more confidence were also more likely to have good control of their blood sugar. The authors of this study recommend that people with type 2 diabetes and diabetic educators focus on improving self-efficacy. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, Feb. 2012