Objective:

To determine the lifestyle of individuáis with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in rural communities.

Materials and methods:

A sample population of 126 subjects with DM2 were evaluated to determine their body mass index (BMI), glycosylated hemoglobin (GH) and a two-phase questionnaire was applied to determine changes in their lifestyle before and after the study.

Results:

Initial and final BMI was 26.67 and 26.36 respectively, and GH was 7.74 and 7.33 respectively without a significant difference. The survey showed that 69.3% of the population has a low self-esteem as consequence of their status of life; 56.5% do not go with their physician; 30.2% do not have interest in their health status; 39% do not know about their diseases; 34% do not practice any type of exercise; 56.6% is not or just some times are interested to get a good nutrition, and only 16.2% are conscious of doing exercise frequently.

Conclusions:

Cultural factors, sociodemographic status, and knowledge about health, have an impact in the lifestyle of this DM2 population. Is necessary to develop programs to improve health and lifestyle in patients with diabetes in rural communities.