Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is becoming an urgent public health concern in European developing country, where research on newly diagnosed patients is limited. Effective diabetes management depends on adherence to prescribed therapy and patients' ability to engage in self-care behaviors, daily practices such as healthy eating, regular activity, blood glucose monitoring, taking medications as directed, and foot care. These behaviors are influenced by personal, social, and economic factors and play a central role in preventing complications and maintaining quality of life. Study Question: What are the experiences and challenges that influence the adherence of patients newly diagnosed with T2DM? Study Design: We used a qualitative, semi-structured interview design to collect data from 30 newly diagnosed patients with T2DM through in-depth, face-to-face interviews at public primary health care centers in urban areas of a European developing country. Measures and Outcomes: We selected participants using purposive sampling to ensure a diverse representation of age, gender, and level of education. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis after Braun and Clarke's 6-phase method to identify patterns and key themes across the interviews. Results: Participants noted several significant obstacles to self-care. Among those 60 and above, physical limitations such as joint pain and fatigue were common, affecting slightly more than half of this group (62.5%). The high cost of medications and healthy food also continued to be a significant barrier to managing their condition, as about half of the study participants reported. The patients diagnosed recently during 3–6 months experienced a significant psychological impact (33%), with anxiety and fear of complications being dominant concerns. Family support was key: fewer than one-third of participants (26.7%) received strong encouragement, whereas more than two-thirds (73.3%) lacked family members with prior experience managing diabetes. The self-care motivation was fear of complications reported by over one-third of participants (36.7%), whereas nearly one-third were motivated by desire for a better quality of life (30%). Social stigma was also a concern, with nearly one-quarter of participants (23.3%) reporting that they avoided social gatherings due to dietary restrictions and perceived judgment from others. Conclusions: Increasing treatment adherence depends on how self-care is managed among newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes. Improving self-care requires addressing physical and socio-economic challenges, managing time constraints, and leveraging family support. These findings suggest the need for family-centered interventions and tailored education within primary care to better support self-care efforts in this population.
Kiçaj et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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