Evaluation of diabetes patients' compliance with lifestyle change recommendations and medication treatment

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The increasing prevalence of diabetes in the world due to factors such as malnutrition, obesity and sedentary lifestyle has led to a comprehensive examination of the compliance of Type 2 diabetic patients with lifestyle changes and drug treatments. Our study aimed to determine the compliance of individuals with type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes recommendations and treatment, as well as the factors affecting these. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-center, descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted at Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital and Zümrüt Müftüoğlu Education Family Health Center, utilized face-to-face interviews and two assessment tools: a 35-question questionnaire and the Morisky Treatment Compliance Scale. RESULTS: The study indicated suboptimal compliance with lifestyle changes, with low rates of smoking and alcohol cessation. About half of the patients demonstrated positive behaviors like weight reduction, regular exercise, and attention to nutrition. Notably, patients focusing on nutrition exhibited better treatment compliance. Analysis using the Morisky Treatment Compliance Scale revealed that 41.3% of patients achieved good compliance. Treatment compliance of housewives was found to be better than working patients. Drug adherence of patients using insulin and insulin+OAD was found to be worse than patients using OAD. Noteworthy was the positive correlation between regular check-ups and improved treatment adherence, increased nutritional awareness, and higher rates of exercise. CONCLUSION: Our study, it has been shown that the patients' age, gender, marital status, employment status, disease duration, treatment type, and regular check-ups affect lifestyle changes and medication compliance. In order to increase compliance, patients should be given regular diabetes education, and in the trainings, patients should be informed about issues such as weight loss, regular doctor check-ups, blood sugar monitoring, nutrition, exercise, and medication use.