Paper Title
Health Literacy And Health Behavior Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Qualitative Study

Abstract
Health literacy is important for self-care management of diabetic patients and has an impact on health outcome. This study aimed to describe the perception and experiences of concerned people and diabetic patients toward health literacy and health behavior among type 2 diabetic patients. Method: Qualitative method was employed by using in-depth interview. Twenty sixkey informants including; twohealth literacy experts, two health behavior experts, six health providers [ two physicians , two nurse, and two public health worker], eight diabetic patients, and eight diabetic caregiver. Data were analyzed by using content analysis. Results: The findings revealed that health literacy experts and health behavior experts agreed that health literacy have significant effects to diabetic self-care behavior, especially in low educated patients. Health providers and diabetic patients faced with the communication gap because they had time limitation for providing the services and health related information and the patients are low education and old age. Consequently, the patients have inadequate knowledge of disease and care. The diabetic patients and their care givers reported that time spend with their physicians was too short. Even though the patients know that the sweet are risk for diabetes, it was hardly to control their food consumption due to they must ate the same food as the others particularly when they had joined the various social events in the communities. Some of diabetic patientshad to drink high sugar energy drink for increasing their energy to work in the orchard. Health literacy is critical to empowerment by improving people's access to health information and their capacity to use it effectively. Improving health literacy of diabetic patients, the collaboration among various units at the health facility is necessity. Keyword: Health Literacy, Health Behavior, Type 2 diabetes