Abstract:
Background: Type 2 diabetes is a health burden worldwide, including population living in SubSaharan African countries such as Rwanda. Functional Health literacy (FHL) coupled with selfcare behaviors (SCB) have greater importance in the prevention and management of T2DM
Main purpose: The aim of the present study is to determine whether functional health literacy is
associated with self-care behaviors among type 2 diabetic patients at University Teaching Hospital
of Kigali (CHUK), Rwanda.
Specific objectives: To determine the level of functional health literacy among type 2 diabetic
patients, to identify self-care behaviors among type 2 diabetic patients, to demonstrate the
relationship between functional health literacy and self-care behaviors among type II diabetic
patients and to determine factors that are associated with FHL and SCB.
Methodology: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional design. The study was conducted at
CHUK in the out-patients department and will recruit 223 T2DM patients. Standardized and
validated instruments were used to assess the level of FHL and SCB. STATA and SPSS version
23 was used to analyze data. Frequencies, percentage, means, and standard deviations (SDs) were
used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Independent t-test,
one-way analysis of variance (Anova) to examine the relationship between demographic variables,
HL and SCB. The backward stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the predictors to
SCB.
Results: The findings from this study demonstrated low FHL in general; the participants ‘score of
FHL range from 6.45 % to 93.54% with mean 51.66 (SD 15.77.The majority of the respondents
123 (55.3%) had inadequate functional health literacy, while 68 (30.5%) of the respondents had
marginal functional health literacy only 32 (14.3 %) with adequate FHL.The current study revealed
poor adequate SCB with means of 3 days over seven days of the week, the current study also
demonstrates a strong association between FHL and SCB (p-value < .001).The present study
demonstrate the factors associated with FHL and SCB such as age, gender, educational level etc..
And showed strong associations (p-value<.001).
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Recommendation and conclusion: There is a need to increase the level of FHL among patients
with T2DM, encourage patients to adhere to SCB and incorporate type 2 diabetes health education
in the curricula to increase the level of both FHL and SCB.
