DISCUSSION
Participants who remembered a family member believing that diabetes was a
chronic condition were more likely to think that diabetes was chronic themselves.
Further, those who were likely to believe that diabetes is acute in nature and those
with a more accurate understanding of diabetes were more likely to report dietary
adherence.Patients may perceive that following a diet and losing weight may
make their diabetes go away. Likewise, those who believe that diabetes is chronic
may have struggled with diet in the past lending to a belief that their diabetes is
not resolved with dietary behavior. This finding is similar to those found by Hart
(2006): perceptions by urban diabetics that diabetes is acute were associated with
higher self-care levels. Hart (2006) also found that understanding of diabetes was
associated with effective coping and self-care adherence.