Table 2.

Self-care behaviors for patients with diabetes^∗

Behavior	Comments
Healthy eating	Making healthy food choices, understanding portion sizes, and learning the best times to eat are central to managing diabetes. By making appropriate food selections, children and teenagers grow and develop as they would if they didn't have diabetes. And, by controlling their weight, many adults may be able to manage their condition for a time without medications.
Being active	Regular activity is important for overall fitness, weight management, and blood glucose control. With appropriate levels of exercise, those at risk for type 2 diabetes can reduce that risk, and those with diabetes can improve glycemic control. Being active can also help improve body mass index, enhance weight loss, help control lipids and blood pressure, and reduce stress.
Monitoring	Daily self-monitoring of blood glucose provides people with diabetes the information they need to assess how food, physical activity, and medications affect their blood glucose levels. People with diabetes also need to regularly check their blood pressure, urine ketones, and weight.
Taking medication	The health care team will be able to determine which medications those with diabetes should be taking and help them understand how these medications work. Effective drug therapy, in combination with healthy lifestyle choices, can lower blood glucose levels, reduce the risk of diabetes complications, and produce other clinical benefits.
Problem solving	Those with diabetes must keep their problem-solving skills sharp because on any given day, a high or low blood glucose episode or a sick day will require them to make rapid, informed decisions about food, activity, and medications. This skill is continuously put to use because even after decades of living with the disease, stability is never fully attained: the disease is progressive, chronic complications emerge, life situations change, and patients age.
Reducing risks	Effective risk reduction behaviors such as smoking cessation and regular eye, foot, and dental examinations reduce diabetes complications and maximize health and quality of life. An important part of self-care is learning to understand, seek, and regularly obtain an array of preventive services.
Healthy coping	Health status and quality of life are affected by psychological and social factors. Psychological distress directly affects health and indirectly influences motivation to keep diabetes in control. When motivation is dampened, the commitments required for effective self-care are difficult to maintain.

∗Adapted from American Association of Diabetes Educators (http://www.diabeteseducator.org/ProfessionalResources/AADE7/).