title: Illness perceptions of Libyans with T2DM and their influence on medication adherence: a study in a diabetes center in Tripoli.
abstract: The surrounding environment influences the constitution of illness perceptions. Therefore, local research is needed to examine how Libyan diabetes patients perceive diabetes and how their perceptions influence their medication adherence.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Tripoli, Libya, between October and December 2013. A total of 523 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection; this included the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale.
  
  
  
  The respondents showed moderately high personal control and treatment control perceptions and a moderate consequences perception. They reported a high perception of diabetes timeline as chronic and a moderate perception of the diabetes course as unstable. The most commonly perceived cause of diabetes was Allah's will. The prevalence of low medication adherence was 36.1%. The identified significant predictors of low medication adherence were the low treatment control perception (p=0.044), high diabetes identity perception (p=0.008), being male (p=0.026), and employed (p=0.008).
  
  
  
  Diabetes illness perceptions of type 2 diabetic Libyans play a role in guiding the medication adherence and could be considered in the development of medication adherence promotion plans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; drsana04@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sana Taher
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Ashur
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Shamsul Azhar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Soad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bosseri
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morisky
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Khadijah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shamsuddin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008002:Libya; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Arabs; Libya; diabetes; illness perceptions; medication adherence