Perceived Quality of Diabetes Counselling and Medication Adherence among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Bangladesh: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

Although medication adherence is crucial for successful treatment of type 2 diabetes, the challenge for people with diabetes is to internalize the health care provider’s recommendations and regularly apply them to daily life. This study investigates the association between perceived diabetes counselling qualities and medication adherence among adults with type 2 diabetes and the mediating role of medication taking self-efficacy in that association in the context of Bangladesh. Information clarity, interpersonal support, and practical tailoring were the indicators of counselling quality. Data from a cross-sectional quantitative design with survey 640 adults at the time of prescribed diabetes medication use who reported being counselled recently by a professional. The partial least squares structural equation modelling approach was utilized to determine measurement quality, direct relationships, explained variance, effect size, and the bootstrapped indirect effects. Self-efficacy was positively related to information clarity, interpersonal support and practical tailoring. The direct link to medication adherence was highest for self-efficacy. However, interpersonal support and practical tailoring were significantly directly related to adherence, the direct path from information clarity was not significant. Significant indirect effects of all three counselling dimensions were found through self-efficacy. The results suggest that self-efficacy is a key behavioural pathway between the counselling quality and adherence and urge the importance of provision of clear, supportive, and practically oriented counselling in strengthening adherence to sustainable medication-taking practices of treated adults in Bangladesh in routine care.