The relationship between fear of COVİD-19 and diabetes self-management level in individuals 65 years and older with type 2 diabetes: A mixed design study

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and diabetes self-management level of individuals diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes aged 65 years and over. Method: The research is a mixed method, nested design and relational screening type. The study was conducted with 300 individuals aged 65 years and over with Type 2 Diabetes who applied to Korkuteli State Hospital internal medicine outpatient clinics between March 2021 and March 2022. Data were obtained using the Individual Descriptive Information Form, Diabetes Self-Management Scale in People with Type 2 Diabetes, COVID-19 Fear Scale and Semi-structured Interview Form. SPSS (23.0) was used to analyze quantitative data and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Qualitative data were analyzed using NVIVO 12 Qualitative Data Analysis. Ethics committee and institutional permissions were obtained. Results: Individuals aged 65 years and over with Type 2 Diabetes had a mean score of 64.26±12.04 on the Diabetes Self-Management Scale and a mean score of 17.08±6.70 on the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. It was determined that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the mean scores of self-management according to the marital status, economic status, diabetes treatment type and diabetes control frequency of the participants, and there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the fear of COVID-19 according to gender. It was determined that there was a negative, significant and weak relationship between Diabetes Self-Management Scale and COVID-19 Fear Scale (p<0.05, r=-0.123). Qualitative findings emerged as 9 main themes and 18 sub-themes. Conclusion: Being married, having a high economic income, using insulin, and having regular check-ups were determined as factors that increased the level of diabetes self-management in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes aged 65 years and older. Fear of COVID-19 decreased as the self-management level increased. In this direction, it is recommended to increase diabetes self-management training programs and to develop preparedness programs for chronic diseases such as diabetes against situations such as epidemics, natural disasters and wars. Key words: covid-19, public health nursing, self-management, type 2 diabetes.