6th Edition of World Nursing Science Conference 2026

Abstract

The prevalence of diabetes has reached pandemic proportions globally. Strong evidence has indicated the importance of decision-making in self-management behaviors. Intertemporal decision-making is described as individuals weighing the costs and benefits at different times (especially now and in the future) and making various judgments and choices. It is associated with various health-related behaviors. However, there is limited evidence in examining the relationships between this concept and diabetes self-management health outcomes among Chinese patients with diabetes. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among intertemporal decision-making, self-management behaviors, and health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Following convenient sampling (N = 368), a cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with T2DM between November 2021 and April 2023. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires and clinical information retrieval from medical records. Intertemporal decision-making was operationalized as delay discounting, measured using 12 pairs of monetary choices. Outcome variables included diabetes self-management behaviors, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and diabetes complications. Hierarchical regression and binary logistic regression models were used to explore the relationships among intertemporal decision-making, self-management, HbA1c, diabetic retinopathy, and carotid artery disease. Results: Our analyses showed that intertemporal decision-making was negatively associated with physical activity (B=-0.250; 95%CI: [-0.479; -0.022], p<0.05) and carotid artery disease (OR=1.397; 95%CI: [1.062;1.839], p=0.017). Specifically speaking, individuals with a lower rate of delay discounting have healthier physical activity; meanwhile, when the rate of delay discounting increases by one unit, the risk of developing carotid artery disease increases by 39.7%. However, delay discounting was not associated with HbA1c (B=0.02; 95% CI: [-0.162; 0.202]) and diabetic retinopathy (OR:0.898, 95%CI: [0.699;1.153]), p>0.05, in this sample. Conclusion: The study reveals that a lower delay discounting can promote healthier physical activity and decrease the incidence of carotid artery disease. These results offer new knowledge for researchers and clinicians to consider the concept of intertemporal decision-making in developing interventional programs to improve physical activity and reduce carotid artery complications in patients with T2DM.

Keywords: Patient with diabetes, Intertemporal decision-making, Self-management, Health outcomes