Factors Related to Treatment Adherence in Type 2 Diabetic People Referring to the Tabriz Diabetes Clinic in 2015: Based on the Health Belief Model

Background: Treatment adherence is proposed as a challenge in diabetes care. The present study was performed aiming to determine the treatment adherence and factors related to it based on the health belief model Methods: In a cross-sectional study type, 205 type 2 diabetic people who referred to Tabriz Diabetes Centers were selected by simple random sampling and entered the study. The data collection tool was a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, factors impacting on the treatment adherence based on the health belief model and treatment adherence behavior. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (version 16) by using statistical independent t-test and one way ANOVA at a significant level less than 0.05. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the people under survey were 53.2±9.5 years and the duration to get diabetes was 6.6±4.5 years. They were about 66.8% women, 24.9% illiterate, and 9.3% had diploma and were academics. The mean of HbA1c was (7.4±1.3), and had about 39% poor treatment adherence. The treatment adherence had significant relationship with perceived severity (R=0.14), sensitivity (R=0.13), benefits (R=0.31), barriers (R=0.47) and HbA1c (R= - 0.44). The health belief model structures of perceived benefits (ß=0.17), barriers (ß=0.39) and HbA1c (ß=0.21) predicted about 29% of the treatment adherence variance. Conclusions: Educational interventions based on the health belief model with emphasis on perceived benefits and barriers can be helpful for treatment adherence in people with diabetes.