Self-Management Practices of Diabetes Mellitus Among Patients Attending General Hospitals in Akwa Ibom State

The aim of the study was to determine the self-management practices among patients attending general hospitals in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 4200 patients attending the 13 general hospitals in Akwa Ibom State. The sample consisted of 420 patients representing 10% of the total population. Stratified random sampling was adopted. A structured questionnaire developed by the researchers and validated by health experts in public health was used, with test-retest reliability coefficient of .87. Data were analysed using mean to answer research questions and ANOVA to test hypotheses. Results revealed that patients adopted good self-management practices of diabetes mellitus overall. Both male and female patients had good self-management practices. The data further revealed no significant difference based on gender, but significant differences based on level of education and age. The researchers recommended that patients should be taught about self-management practices in hospitals and that pre-diabetic conditions should be detected early.