Correlation between health perception and attitude in diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common health issues in society that is caused by population growth and urbanization, has an ever-growing prevalence depending on lifestyle changes, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle, and causes morbidity and early mortality. This study was conducted as a descriptive correlational study to determine the correlation between the health perception of individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and their attitudes toward diabetes. The study was carried out with the participation of 242 diabetes mellitus patients receiving treatment in a university hospital in Samsun province between 1 August 2017 and 1 February 2018. In the study, the data were collected via a survey form. In the evaluation of the data, percentage calculation, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and Mann-Whitney U Test were used. In line with the findings obtained, it was determined that the individuals diagnosed with diabetes had a moderate level of health perception and positive attitudes toward diabetes. Keywords: Attitude; diabetes mellitus; health; perception.