<![CDATA[Individuals with diabetes mellitus frequently experience difficulties adhering to recommended dietary regimens, resulting in unstable blood glucose levels and an increased risk of further complications. One significant factor influencing dietary adherence is self-efficacy, or patients' belief in their own ability to manage their diet. This paper investigates the relationship between self-efficacy and dietary adherence in outpatients with diabetes mellitus. This study employed a correlational analytical design with a cross-sectional approach. The population comprised 170 outpatients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus registered at the endocrine outpatient clinic of Jemursari Islamic Hospital, Surabaya. The sample consisted of 119 respondents, using simple random sampling. The instruments were the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES) questionnaire to measure self-efficacy and the Dietary Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) to assess dietary adherence. Data were analyzed using Spearman's Rank correlation test. The results indicated that half of the respondents (64; 50.4%) had low self-efficacy, and nearly half (55; 46.2%) had moderate diet adherence. Statistical analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and dietary adherence in outpatients with diabetes mellitus (p = 0.000), with a strong correlation coefficient of 0.851. In conclusion, self-efficacy is associated with dietary adherence among outpatients with diabetes mellitus. The higher the self-efficacy, the greater the dietary adherence to the diabetes mellitus diet. Healthcare professionals should emphasize simple and repetitive educational approaches, particularly targeting older adult patients with low to moderate educational levels, to enhance patients' confidencein consistently and independently adhering to Diabetes dietary regimens.]]>
