Objective: This descriptive and cross-sectional study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 induced fear on the treatment adherence and health-seeking behavior of individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: The sample for this research consisted of 150 type 2 diabetes patients who attended the Mersin City Training and Research Hospital endocrinology outpatient clinics for treatment and follow-up. Data collection involved the use of a Personal Information Form, the COVID-19 Fear Scale, the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patient Treatment Adherence Scale, and the Health-Seeking Behavior Scale. Data was analyzed using Student’s t-test, One Way ANOVA and Multiple Linear Regression analysis.
Findings: Among the individuals participating in the study, it was determined that while 54.7% were female, 48.7% had an HbA1c level of 8.1 and above, 64% used insulin, 80.7% developed complications related to diabetes and the average age of the participants were 62.9±11.9. Furthermore, the majority were not diagnosed with COVID-19, and they did not require hospitalization due to COVID-19. The adherence to diabetes treatment among the patients was found to be moderate, with the lowest adherence was observed in terms of lifestyle changes and the highest adherence was observed in terms of the emotional and behavioral adherence dimensions. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the fear of COVID-19 did not affect diabetes treatment adherence levels of the patients (p>0.05). It was found that only those patients who were using insulin and those who were not adhering to medical nutritional treatment had lower adherence to diabetes treatment (p