The relationship between family support and dietary adherence in DM patients at RS Lawang Medika

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that requires long-term management through education, medical nutrition therapy, physical activity, and pharmacological therapy. Dietary adherence is an important aspect in controlling DM, but its implementation can be influenced by family support. This study aims to analyze the relationship between family support and dietary adherence in DM patients at Lawang Medika Hospital. This study used a quantitative correlational analytical design with a cross-sectional approach. The study was conducted from May 1–30, 2026. The study population consisted of 100 DM patients at Lawang Medika Hospital and all of them were selected as respondents using a total sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of family support and dietary adherence instruments with a Likert scale. Data analysis included univariate and bivariate analyses. The normality test using Shapiro-Wilk showed that the data were not normally distributed, so the bivariate analysis used Spearman Rank correlation. The results showed an average family support of 82.00%, categorized as good, and an average dietary adherence of 77.43%, categorized as good. Spearman's test results showed a significant relationship between family support and dietary adherence, with a p-value of 0.03. This positive relationship indicates that better family support tends to be followed by better dietary adherence. This study emphasizes the importance of family involvement in supporting dietary adherence in diabetes patients.