Herbal approaches used by patients with type 2 diabetes and their effect on their compliance to diabetes treatment

This descriptive study was planned to determine the plants used by Type 2 Diabetic patients to provide glycemic control and to determine the positive or negative effects of these practices on their compliance with diabetes treatments. The study was conducted online between July 2024 and September 2024. The sample of the study consisted of 113 individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The data of the study were collected using the snowball sampling method, which is one of the non-probability sampling techniques. The Patient Identification Form and the Patient Compliance Scale to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment were used to collect the data. The average age of the type 2 Diabetic patients participating in the study was 50.94 ± 16.59 years, and it was determined that 59.3% were female, 71.7% were married, and 45.1% were primary school graduates. 58.4% of the participants were not working in a job that brought regular income, 29.2% were self-employed, and 28.3% were housewives. Most of the participants stated that their income was equal to their expenses (57.5%), while there were 28 participants (24.8%) who stated that their income was less than their expenses. It was determined that participants with type 2 Diabetes mostly used oral antidiabetics (54.9%) in their treatments. Participants most frequently used the leaves (52.2%) and seeds (27.4%) of plants to keep their blood sugar under control. It was determined that the first three plants used were lemon (50.4%), linden (39.8%) and sage or cinnamon (32.7%), while the least used plants were cucumber, garlic, buckthorn and black tea (0.9%). Among those who recommended the use of plants, relatives (57.5%) were in the first place, while participants mostly used plants once a week (45.1%). Most of the participants did not consult a doctor about the use of plants (66.4%) and did not experience any negative effects on blood sugar due to the use of plants (80.5%). The participants' most frequent expectations in plant use were to ensure normal blood sugar levels (58.4%) and to feel good (52.2%). The participants' total scale score average was determined to be 82.74±11.18. It was determined that the participants' age groups, gender, marital status, occupations, and income perceptions did not create a statistically significant difference in the scores they obtained from the Patient Compliance Scale for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment (p > 0.05). On the other hand, the patient's education and regular employment status created a statistically significant difference in the scale scores (p < 0.01). It was determined that the scale scores of those with a university degree or higher were lower than both primary and high school graduates, and those with a regular income-generating job were lower than those without. It was determined that the frequency of plant use and the negative experience of blood sugar levels due to plant use did not create a statistically significant difference in the scores obtained from the Patient Compliance Scale for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment of those who recommended the use of plants to their patients (p > 0.05). However, it was found that the scale scores of patients who consulted a doctor while using plants were statistically significantly lower than those who did not (p < 0.05). As a result, it was determined in this study that the compliance levels of herbal approaches used by type 2 diabetes patients to diabetes treatments were moderate.