Illness perception, risk perception and health promotion self-care behaviors among Chinese patient with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional survey

Aim: To explore illness perception and perceived risk of developing diabetes complications in relation to health promoting self-care behaviors among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Background: Illness and risk perceptions are important determinants of various health behaviors. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the impacts of these two constructs on self-care among diabetic patients. Methods: Data were collected on participants' characteristics, illness perception, risk perception, and health promoting self-care behaviors over 6 months among 304 subjects from three general hospitals. Results: Significant associations between illness perception and risk perception were observed. Illness perception and/or risk perception explained an independent, small but significant proportion of the variance in each health promoting self-care behavior. Conclusion: One's perceptions of illness and future risk might be influential in understanding health-promoting self-care among diabetic patients. It may be useful to improve self-management by tailoring intervention content to individuals' illness-related perceptions.