Self-care in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an interpretive phenomenological analysis.

Background. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the major causes of cardiovascular diseases. Reducing the cardiovascular risk is one of the main T2DM treatment goals. Self-care is key for people with T2DM to achieve this goal. Culture, values, believes and environment were identified as factors potentially affecting self-care. However, the experience of self-care of people with T2DM has never been investigated qualitatively. Purpose. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of self-care in people with T2DM. Methods. This study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Ten adults were recruited from two outpatient diabetes centres. Sample was purposefully selected according to gender, time from the diagnosis, and education. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews. Results. Three themes were identified: self-care as renouncement (to food, alcohol and soda, intensive physical activity, and one’s identity); self-care as routine (measurements, controls, to normalise the disease, to define one’s identity as sick, to liberate from responsibility, and as a job); and self-care as regulation (of control, of level of severity; from family, from health-care provider, from society). We also identified a connecting element that is transversal to the three themes: self- care as a moral issue, either internal or external. Conclusion. Our results can inform practitioners to better understand how people experience self- care as a complex issue that involves different levels of one’s life, up to one’s own identity, and to develop tailored interventions. They can also enrich researchers’ interpretation of the available quantitative data on this topic, to develop further research.