One key factor to sustained improvement of diabetes self-management behaviors is to identify modifiable predictors of the behaviors. Understanding the relationship between these predictors and self-management behaviors provides a venue for health care professionals to develop effective interventions to enhance self-care, thus delay the development of complications and improve quality of life among people with type 2 diabetes.

A non-experimental descriptive-correlational design was used for this study. The sample (n=103) was 57.3% (n=59) male with a mean age of 54.34 (11.92) years. The majority of participants were married (63.7%, n=65) and had graduated from college (70.6%, n=72).

The results regarding healthy eating supported the conceptual framework. Self-efficacy and health beliefs predicted healthy eating behaviors among this sample of adults with type 2 diabetes. The results regarding physical activity did not support the conceptual framework. Self-efficacy and health beliefs did not predict physical activity behaviors among this sample of adults with type 2 diabetes.