predictors of glycated hemoglobin among jordanian dia­betic patients

background: we explored the level of jordanian patients' knowledge, diabetes related distress, self-management activities and these effects on the a1c level. methodology: this descriptive cross-sectional correlational design (conducted in 2013) was utilized to recruit 289 diabetic patients from outpatient diabetes clinics, using self-reported questionnaires (diabetes knowledge test, diabetes distress scale, and diabetes self-management questionnaire) in addition to chart review for selected variables. results: participants' had mean glycated hemoglobin of 7.88%. good glycemic control was significantly associated with higher self-management activities ( r= -.147), high income ( r= -.171), older age ( r= -.252), shorter duration of illness ( r= .153), and low levels of distress. despite these relationships only age, duration of illness and income significantly predicted a1c ( f (5, 284) = 11.57, p <.001, r 2 = .17). further, diabetes knowledge, diabetes-related distress, and self-management could not predict a1c level. conclusion: only diabetes-related distress and self-management correlated with patients' a1c, with no predictive power. thus, further research is required to shed the light on the large unexplained components of the a1c variance.