Abstract
Background: Family support and the maintenance of functional ability are crucial for managing diabetes among older adults (OA). In the United States, diabetes affects 29.2% of OA, and its management is complicated by frailty, polypharmacy, and hospitalizations (Bellary et al., 2021). Supporting individuals’ self-care ability and activities of daily living (ADL) independence can help to support diabetes management. Family support may influence the self-care ability needed for independent diabetes management, but it is less studied. The social-ecological model guided this study (Tudge et al., 2022).
Purpose: To examine the association between family support and self-care ability among OA with diabetes in the US, with implications for nursing practice and research.
Methods: A cross-sectional study utilizing the National Health and Aging Trends Study with 5526 OA. Perceived social support (household size as proxy) and Katz’s index of independence in ADL scales were used to measure family support and self-care, respectively. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analyzed the relationship between family support and self-care, controlling for covariates.
Results: Among 5,526 OA with diabetes, nearly half (2406, 43.5%) received community-based care; 3,273 (59.2%) were female; and 3,557 (64.9%) identified as White. Most (4,580; 82.9%) lived in metropolitan areas, and 2,709 (49.0%) had at least two other people in the household. A weak but significant positive relationship exists between self-care and household size (r = 0.06, p ≤ 0.001), with larger households reporting slightly higher self-care. Multiple regression analysis revealed that household size had a positive, though weak, relationship with self-care ability among OA (β = 0.05, p < 0.0001). The model was significant (F=59.11, Adjusted R square=0.05, p < 0.0001), suggesting family support may predict self-care differences, but the low R square shows that household size may not fully represent family support.
Conclusion and Implications: Household size relates to self-care, but the small R square indicates it explains little of the variance. Other family support factors, such as quality, type, nature, and their relationship to self-care ability, should also be considered. Further research is needed on OAs' family support in managing diabetes. Nurses should consider household context when promoting self-care and assist those with limited resources.
Notes
NHATS: National Health and Aging Trends Study. Produced and distributed by www.nhats.org with funding from the National Institute on Aging and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) (grant number U01AG032947).
References: Bellary, S., Kyrou, I., Brown, J. E., & Bailey, C. J. (2021). Type 2 diabetes mellitus in older adults: Clinical considerations and management. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 17(9), 534–548. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00512-2
Tudge, J. R. H., Merçon-Vargas, E. A., & Payir, A. (2022). Urie bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory: Its development, core concepts, and critical issues. Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methodologies: A Dynamic Approach, 235–254. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92002-9_16
Sigma Membership
Beta Sigma
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Primary Care, Family Relations, Diabetes Mellitus, Self Care, Older Adults, Aged, United States
Recommended Citation
Tagbor, Solomon and Berish, Diane E., "Family Support as a Correlate of Self-Care in Older Adults with Diabetes in the US" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 67.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/67
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-26
Funder
National Institute on Aging
Second Funder
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
Family Support as a Correlate of Self-Care in Older Adults with Diabetes in the US
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Family support and the maintenance of functional ability are crucial for managing diabetes among older adults (OA). In the United States, diabetes affects 29.2% of OA, and its management is complicated by frailty, polypharmacy, and hospitalizations (Bellary et al., 2021). Supporting individuals’ self-care ability and activities of daily living (ADL) independence can help to support diabetes management. Family support may influence the self-care ability needed for independent diabetes management, but it is less studied. The social-ecological model guided this study (Tudge et al., 2022).
Purpose: To examine the association between family support and self-care ability among OA with diabetes in the US, with implications for nursing practice and research.
Methods: A cross-sectional study utilizing the National Health and Aging Trends Study with 5526 OA. Perceived social support (household size as proxy) and Katz’s index of independence in ADL scales were used to measure family support and self-care, respectively. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analyzed the relationship between family support and self-care, controlling for covariates.
Results: Among 5,526 OA with diabetes, nearly half (2406, 43.5%) received community-based care; 3,273 (59.2%) were female; and 3,557 (64.9%) identified as White. Most (4,580; 82.9%) lived in metropolitan areas, and 2,709 (49.0%) had at least two other people in the household. A weak but significant positive relationship exists between self-care and household size (r = 0.06, p ≤ 0.001), with larger households reporting slightly higher self-care. Multiple regression analysis revealed that household size had a positive, though weak, relationship with self-care ability among OA (β = 0.05, p < 0.0001). The model was significant (F=59.11, Adjusted R square=0.05, p < 0.0001), suggesting family support may predict self-care differences, but the low R square shows that household size may not fully represent family support.
Conclusion and Implications: Household size relates to self-care, but the small R square indicates it explains little of the variance. Other family support factors, such as quality, type, nature, and their relationship to self-care ability, should also be considered. Further research is needed on OAs' family support in managing diabetes. Nurses should consider household context when promoting self-care and assist those with limited resources.
Description
Family support plays a crucial role in managing diabetes among older adults and helps prevent complications. This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between household size and self-care in 5526 older adults in the US. Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression were employed. The results indicate a potentially strong social network influence on self-care, underscoring the significance of social relationships in managing diabetes.