ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT FACTORS ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS BY PATH ANALYSIS

Diabetes is the most common metabolic disorder. Progression of diabetes complications mostly due to lack of blood sugar control. The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model of individual and social factors affecting blood sugar control.
Present study is a cross-sectional study and patients were selected using sex stratified random sampling. Path analysis was conducted to investigate effects variables of the diabetes knowledge, patient and doctor relationship, self care, the number of education years, household income and duration of diabetes on HbA1c. The following goodness-of-model fit were used: χ2, RMSEA, CFI and SRMR test-statistics.
The estimated model demonstrated good model fit, (χ2 = 5, p=0.4), (RMSEA=0.006), (CFI =0.99) and (SRMR=0.022). Total effect and total indirect effect of age on HbA1c were significant. Age through duration of diabetes had significant indirect effect on HbA1c. Total effect of duration of diabetes on HbA1c was significant. With increasing duration of diabetes HbA1c also had increased. Total effect of waist-to-hip ratio on HbA1c was significant. Waist-to-hip ratio had significant direct effect on HbA1c.
In the current study the effect of individual factors such as age, waist-to-hip ratio, depression and duration of diabetes on glycemic control were detected. According to the capabilities used in this method can providing results of this study with patients and local policy makers in order to improve the care of patients with diabetes