The determination of relationship between disease acceptance and health literacy in patients with TYPE 2 diabetes

The study was a descriptive study which conducted to determine the relationship between disease acceptance and health literacy in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The population of the study consisted of the patients who applied to Düzce Atatürk State Hospital internal medicine service and endocrine diseases outpatient clinic. The sample of the study consisted of 406 Type 2 diabetes patients who applied to the internal medicine service and endocrine diseases outpatient clinic between December 2019 and April 2020 selected using a method for a sample with a known population with a 5% sampling error and 5% significance level. The data was collected by using the "Patient Information Form", " Acceptance Of Illness Scale " and "European Health Literacy Scale". The descriptive statistical methods, parametric comparison tests and correlation tests were used in the analysis. It was determined that the disease acceptance scale mean score was 26.21±7.10, and the health literacy mean score was 92.25±15.75. There was a statistically significant difference between the total scores at the individuals inclued in the study in the Acceptance Of Illness Scale and European Health Literacy Scale and patients' age, educational status, smoking use, diabetes diagnosis time, diabetes treatment method, knowledge of diabetes complications and development status, exercise and diet, blood glucose measurement and frequency of going for control, the status of education about disease (p <0.05). There was a moderately positive and significant linear relationship between the disease acceptance and the health literacy (r = 0.460; p <0.001). A result, the diseases acceptance and the health literacy level of patients were high; and the disease acceptance level increase, the level of health literacy increase. It was recommended that individuals should be encouraged to do healthenhancing behaviors, training topics should be determined according to the needs, educational materials should be developed and delivered to more diabetic patients.