The influence of daily routines on engaging in diabetes self-management

Abstract

Objective: In contrast to previous research concerning the importance of routines in occupational engagement, most of which have largely focused on the routines of children and families, in this study a qualitative methodology was used to understand how routines function in a specific occupation: diabetes self-management (DSM). Methods: Ten low-income women participated in a multiple-methods study that involved completing a time-geographic diary (TGD) and participating in a TGD interview. Results: Findings reveal that pre-existing routines must be changed so that they may better support engagement in DSM, and that such changes are tied to underlying habits and life situations. The experiences of study participants also showed that the distribution of daily occupations through time and across social spheres can be both supportive of and problematic for engaging in DSM. In addition, the structure and sequence of competing daily occupations influences the available time and opportunities for people to further develop their skills and become more adept self-managers. Conclusions:The implications of these findings for occupational science and therapy are discussed.

Key words::

• behavior
• diabetes
• diaries
• habits
• occupation
• time

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr Malcolm Cutchin for providing feedback on previous versions of this text. This publication was made possible by funding from Wayne State University's Institute of Gerontology and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Nursing Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness grant 2T32NR007091-16 from the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes

1 The Diabetes Care Profile (DCP; Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center, http://www.med.umich.edu) is a self-administered questionnaire used in DSM research to assess the psychological and social factors that affect diabetes care.