Foot Care Behaviors of Older Persons with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore foot care behaviors of older persons with type 2 diabetes. Orem’s self-care theory was used to guide the study. A sample of 78 older persons with type 2 diabetes was purposively selected from the Diabetic Center, Taksin Hospital, Bangkok. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were used, and all interviews were tape-recorded. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used for data analysis. The sample consisted of male and female participants equally, with a mean age of 68.64 years. After being diagnosed with diabetes, the participants paid more attention to their foot care behaviors. Most of the participants had a foot examination done daily in order to identify skin breakdown because they were aware of foot ulcerations, which may result in lower extremity amputation. The participants performed foot ulcer prevention by applying lotion to their feet, cutting their nails straight, and not filing their nails. However, few participants soaked their feet in warm water. In addition, some participants had blurred vision and truncal obesity that made them unable to see their feet well. Nevertheless, they used everyday devices to help them examine their feet or asked for help from their family members. The results reflect that participants developed their abilities to perform foot care deliberately with various methods and integrated foot care behavior into their lifestyle. This study enables healthcare providers to understand foot care behavior and problems in foot care of older persons with type-2 diabetes. These results can be used to plan an appropriate foot care intervention that fits to individual contexts for better foot care.

Keywords:  Foot care behaviors, Self- care, Older persons, Type 2 diabetes