Aim: to explore beliefs about health and illness that might affect self-care practice and health-care seeking behaviour in persons diagnosed with DM, living in Zimbabwe.

Methods: consecutive sample from diabetes clinic. Semistructured interviews with 21 persons aged 19-65 yrs. Data analysis with qualitative content analysis.

Results: Health expressed as freedom from disease and well-being. Individual factors such as compliance with advice and drugs were considered important to promote health. A mixture of causes of DM stated, mainly individual factors as heredity, overweight and wrong diet combined with supernatural factors as fate, punishment from God and witchcraft were mentioned. Most did not recognize DM symptoms when falling ill but related health problems to other diseases. Limited knowledge about the disease and body was indicated. Poor economy was claimed harmful to health and a consequence of DM due to the need of buying expensive drugs, food, attending check-ups etc.

Conclusions: Limited knowledge about DM, based on beliefs about health and illness including biomedical and traditional explanations related to influence of supernatural forces were found, these affected self-care and care-seeking behaviour. Strained economy was claimed as of utmost importance affecting management of the disease and health. Systemic and structural conditions need to be considered toghether with educational efforts to promote health and prevent DM-complications.