Medication Adherence and Quality of Life Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that requires lifelong management and is associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life.Medication adherence is an important component of effective diabetes management; however, adherence to long-term therapy remains suboptimal in many patients. ObjectiveTo assess medication adherence and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to examine the associations of medication adherence and quality of life with selected sociodemographic and clinical factors. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending a tertiary care teaching hospital in Puducherry, India, over a period of eight months from June 2025 to January 2026.Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS), and quality of life was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. ResultsAmong the 330 participants, 218 (66.1%) were adherent to their medications, while 112 (33.9%) were nonadherent.The psychological domain had the highest mean quality-of-life score (67.10 ± 10.13), whereas the social domain had the lowest (51.36 ± 18.66).Patients with good glycemic control had significantly higher quality-of-life scores in several domains.Those with fasting blood glucose <126 mg/dL had higher physical-domain scores than those with elevated levels (61.46 ± 9.69 vs. 58.44 ± 9.12; p = 0.005).Similarly, patients with postprandial blood glucose <200 mg/dL had higher physical, psychological, and social domain scores and overall perception of health.Patients with HbA1c <6.5% had higher physical and social domain scores and overall perception of health.Medication adherence was significantly associated with higher environmental-domain quality-of-life scores (65.17 ± 13.03 vs. 61.72 ± 13.72; p = 0.026). ConclusionMedication adherence and better glycemic control were associated with higher quality-of-life scores among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Improving medication adherence and glycemic control may contribute to better quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.