Knowledge and the “Magibung” Tradition Related to the Dietary Self-Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Magibung is the tradition of eating together with one’s family and relatives to celebrate traditional events. This tradition is contrary to the dietary recommendations for diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between knowledge and the magibung tradition on the self-management diet of diabetes mellitus patents. This study used a cross-sectional design. The samples obtained consisted of 138 respondents through purposive sampling. The data was collected using the Summary of Diabetes Self Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire and the data was analyzed using the Spearman rho analysis test. The results showed that there was a correlation of knowledge (p=0.000) with diet self-management and that there was no correlation between the magibung tradition (0.184) with diet self-management. Age was the dominant factor that influenced the level of knowledge about diet for the DM patients. Being on a diet does not prevent the patient from participating in the magibung tradition. This is because it is about respecting family tradition and the community. Health workers are expected to optimize the health education provided to DM patients by paying attention to the local culture, especially to the elderly groups, in order to better understand DM self-management through discussion activities such as home visits, counseling and holding special gatherings. Keywords: knowledge; magibung tradition; diet self-management; diabetes mellitu