Perception of severity of disease and health locus of control in compliant and noncompliant diabetic patients.

Compliant and noncompliant obese, non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects were assessed using a variety of demographic variables, the health locus of control scale (HLC), and the perception of severity of disease index based on the health belief model. The complaint subjects were significantly older and viewed their illness as significantly more severe than the noncompliant patients. Additionally, they tended to exhibit more of an internal locus of control that the noncompliant patients.