Abstract

Background: Diet adherence, as one of the cornerstones of diabetes self-management, is important to improve glycemic control and preventing diabetes complications. Health Belief Model (HBM) is one of the most helpful models used in health education programs. Aim of this study was to determine the effects of education based on HBM on diet obedience in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 128 diabetic patients referred to Fatemeh Zahra hospital of Najafabad, a city located in central region of Iran, were randomly allocated into 2 groups. The experiment group participated in four 40-minutes educational classes which were designed based on HBM. Data were gathered both before and 3 months after intervention and then were analyzed. Results: After the intervention, significant differences were found between groups about perceived susceptibility (P≤0.001), perceived severity (P≤0.001), perceived barriers (P=0.004) and practice (diet obedience) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that using HBM in diabetes education program is effective in diet obedience among type 2 diabetic patients.