Abstract

Introduction Type 2 diabetes patients' adherence to pharmacotherapy is higher than adherence to nutritional therapy or lifestyle change behaviours, and patients do not value nutritional therapy in the same level as they value other types of interventions. This study aimed to analyse the value that T2DM patients place on nutritional therapy and to identify perceived barriers to nutritional therapy adherence. Methods A non-random sample of 62 patients receiving health care in a Diabetes Clinic in the municipality of Faro, in the Portuguese region of the Algarve, was interviewed with a semi-structured protocol regarding sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary habits. Additional data were collected from the patient's clinical files and by conducting anthropometric assessment using standard methods. Results Patients show a poor dietary intake and we found a prevalence of 36% (n = 22) of overweight patients and 53% (n = 33) of obese patients. Mean BMI was 30.1 kg/m2 (SD = 4.21). Physical activity is considered less important than dietary intake and that pharmacologic treatment for the management and control of T2DM (F = 19.6; p < 0.001). Value placed in dietary intake as a treatment for the disease is high, but patients seem to have a trouble in complying with the recommendations and to sustain the compliance they achieved. Patients should be empowered to improve their self-care and to consider nutrition therapy as valuable as other treatments.

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