Why patients suffering from diabetes do not adhere to the prescribed diet?

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is serious health problem with a prevalence of 9% in the population older than 18 years. The World Health Organization provided information that global mortality rate caused by diabetes in 2012 was 2.7%, while in Serbia this figure was 3.4%. Most patients with diabetes comply in adequately or not at all with the prescribeddiet. Previous studies found significant impact of the diet itself on prevention of complications of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in general population. Objective: The aim of this study was to establish the theory, which will allow us to understand why patients with diabetes in Serbia do not comply with prescribeddiet, and what are the factors affecting this non-compliance. Materials and Methods: The study was of a qualitative type, using grounded theory method. Unstructured interviews with the study participants were carried out and audio-recorded with their consent. Results: After analyzing thirteen transcripts the following categories were formulated: 'the awareness of patients about their illness and other psychological factors', 'stress', 'business and obligations' 'economic aspect', 'social aspect', 'character traits of the patients', 'feeling hunger and the inability to fast', 'ignorance,' 'age of the patient', 'lack of motivation', 'impact of comorbidity,' 'unavailability of a products for diabetics' and 'cultural-religious influences and adopted habits.' Conclusion: Based on the collected data and the analysis, the theory was formed and a multitude of factors was shown to affect non-compliance with the prescribed diet. However, the most important factors were lack of awareness about seriousness of the disease by both patients and the society, and cultural heritage.