en مدیریت خدمات بهداشتی درمانی Health care Management پژوهشي Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><span style="line-height:2;"><strong>Background and Purpose</strong>: Between 40% and 60% of patients worldwide have poorly controlled diabetes. Although blood glucose control is the main goal of treatment, it is not achieved in most patients. Identifying factors related to poor control is essential for effective management. To investigate the prevalence of poor glycemic control and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes living in Qaemshahr City, Iran, in 2023.<br> <strong>Materials and Methods</strong>: A cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted employing multistage sampling. Data were collected from 642 patients with type 2 diabetes using fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c measurements. The diabetes self-care activities questionnaire and the Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) were used to assess self-care and medication adherence, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 19, with descriptive and inferential statistics. First, the data&rsquo;s normality was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. For variables that did not follow a normal distribution, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used; for qualitative variables, the chi-square test was used. The significance level was set at P<0.05.<br> <strong>Results</strong>: A total of 642 participants took part in this study. The prevalence of controlled blood glucose was 45.3%. Significant associations were found between glycemic control and education level, residence, insurance type, medication type, glucometer use, and regular visits to physicians and health caregivers (P<0.05). Medication adherence was high in 194 patients (30%), while optimal self-care was observed in only 52(8%). Self-care was significantly associated with HbA1c levels (P=0.001), family size, living arrangements, and the presence of diabetic complications. No significant association was observed between self-care and age, gender, or education level.<br> <strong>Conclusion</strong>: Despite good medication adherence in some patients, the low rate of optimal self-care underscores the need for continuous education and counseling to improve comprehensive diabetes management and prevent complications. Sole reliance on medication adherence is insufficient to ensure health outcomes.</span></span></span></div> Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), Glycemic control, Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Medication adherence 65 74 http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1169-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Maryam Zarrinkamar maryamzarrinkamar7040@gmail.com 100319475328460014568 0009-0009-7681-4629 No Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Elham Alinejad alinezhad27@gmail.com 100319475328460014569 0009-0005-9407-0150 No Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Zahra Kashi Kashi_zahra@yahoo.com 100319475328460014570 100319475328460014570 No Diabetes Research Center, Institute of Herbal Medicines and Metabolic Disorders, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Mojgan Geran moj1357geran@gmail.com 100319475328460014571 0009-0001-4032-6342 Yes Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Pejman Khosravi pezhmankhosravi56@gmail.com 100319475328460014572 100319475328460014572 No Amol Campus of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Roghaye Khatoon Arab arab@gmail.com 100319475328460014573 100319475328460014573 No Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Mohammad Khademloo moh.khademloo@gmail.com 100319475328460014574 100319475328460014574 No Amol Campus of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.