The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Treatment Compliance in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Aim: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a very common chronic disease in Turkey and around the world. Increasing patients' awareness and adherence to treatment through education and counseling is critical to the successful management of type 2 DM. In recent years, the relationship between treatment success and treatment compliance in chronic diseases has been frequently emphasized. In this study, the relationship between the level of health literacy, which is one of the current concepts regarding treatment success, and treatment compliance of type 2 DM patients was investigated. Materials and Methods: This prospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with participants with Type 2 DM diagnosis who applied to the Harran University Hospital Endocrinology Policlinic between March 2023 and May 2023. Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Evaluation Form created by the researchers, as well as the Patient Compliance Scale for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment (PCSFDM) and Adult Health Literacy Scale (AHLS) were used to obtain the data. Study data were analyzed with the SPSS 24.0 statistical program. Statistical alpha significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the 150 patients included in the study was 57.3±12.8 (min 25 – max 90) and 77 (51.3%) of them were female. The majority of the participants (n=131, 87.3%) were married. It was seen that primary school graduates (27.3%) were at the highest rate. The mean total score of PCSFDM in the study was 85.2±9.8. No significant difference was found between the PCSFDM total scores in terms of gender, marital status, employment status, education and income status. The total PCSFDM score was found to be statistically higher in smokers, in those who did not apply their treatment properly, in those who did not regularly measure blood sugar at home and in those who had additional diseases. (respectively p=0.019; p<0.001; p=0.001; p=0.008). The total mean score of the participants' AHLS was 8.6±4.7. There was a moderately strong statistically significant negative correlation between age and total AHLS score (r=-0.355; p<0.001). Total AHLS XI scores were statistically significantly higher in males, employees, those with high school education and above, and those whose income equals or exceeds their expenses (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study findings revealed that the level of health literacy is low in DM patients, and that there is a statistically moderate relationship between the level of adherence to treatment and health literacy. It is seen that low health literacy level is a risk factor that negatively affects the ability of diabetic patients to continue their lives in a healthy way by reducing their adherence to treatment. In order to successfully manage diabetes, it is very important for patients to have sufficient knowledge and awareness of their disease and to comply with treatment. According to the results obtained from this study, it can be said that there is a need for advanced planning with the target of the patient profile who understands and applies how the diet, exercise, control and followups required by their treatment should be. Keywords: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, health literacy, treatment compliance