Exploring the barriers of adherence to dietary recommendations among patients with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study in Iran

Aims: Type 2 diabetes is a major global health concern, and its prevalence is rapidly increasing throughout the world. The present study was conducted to explore the experiences of patients and healthcare providers to identify the social barriers to patients' adherence to their recommended diet and thus help the design of future interventions. Design: This study was conducted as a qualitative study with content analysis approach. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted from November 2016-July 2017. Data were collected through 38 unstructured in-depth interviews with 33 T2D patients and their treatment supervisors and field notes. The interview transcripts were coded using the MAXQDA 10 software. To extract categories and themes, the thematic analysis approach was used. We followed the COREQ Checklist to ensure rigour in our study. Results: The analysis of the study revealed the emergence of five categories of perceived barriers including social priorities and rivalries, family's food habits, poor social support, social impasses and dominant food patterns.