APA Dictionary of Psychology

an intervention, or a combination of various interventions, that teaches self-care to people with diabetes mellitus, focusing on healthy eating, physical exercise, blood glucose–level monitoring, and other points of treatment adherence. Health psychologists play an important role in this effort, both at the time of diagnosis, when patients are first learning about self-care, and over time, whenever they have trouble maintaining their self-care regimen. Behavioral interventions at the individual, couple, or group level are particularly useful in helping patients to develop new self-care habits. Also important are interventions to address psychological concerns (e.g., grief, anger, stress) that may challenge the patient’s ability to maintain self-care.