Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is one of the leading chronic conditions that greatly impacts Filipino families. Medication non-adherence is a significant challenge in achieving optimal treatment outcomes for individuals with this condition.

This study determined the level of medication adherence and explored the associated factors contributing to nonadherence among patients with T2DM at Cebu South Medical Center (CSMC) Family Medicine outpatient clinic.

A cross-sectional study was done in CSMC Family Medicine outpatient clinic from August to October 2023. A selfadministered questionnaire divided into three domains of non-adherence was adopted. Means, frequencies, and percentages were used to analyze level of adherence, sociodemographic and clinical factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine association of factors to medication non-adherence.

There was a total of 69 participants. Overall, there was partial adherence to T2DM medications. There was a high prevalence of partial adherence (39.1%) in the cost-related non-adherence (CRNA) domain. Factors that showed non-significant increased odds of non-adherence included older age (AOR 1.363, 95% CI 0.345-5.386), female sex (AOR 1.544, 95% CI 0.386-6.176), low income (AOR 1.05, 95% CI 0.352-3.135), increased frequency of daily medication intake (AOR 1.436, 95% CI 0.44-4.664), and less than 10 years duration of T2DM (AOR 1.99, 95% CI 0.46-8.637).

Adherence to diabetes medication may be affected by medication costs and financial status as reflected in the overall partial adherence, the high prevalence of partial adherence in CRNA domain, and the increased odds of non-adherence with low income. More studies should be done to investigate other possible contributing factors for non adherence to diabetes medication such as diabetes knowledge, patient’s self efficacy, and healthcare provider communication.