Ascertaining levels of self-reported adherence and metabolic control (from a bio-psychosocial perspective) aimed at putting forward culturally-sensitive strategies leading to better results being achieved by diabetes programmes.A descriptive study was conducted, involving 131 diabetic patients who were affiliated to one of the largest health insuring entities in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. Interviews were held for ascertaining the levels of self-reported adherence; glucosylated haemoglobin A1c was measured to evaluate metabolic control.The average adherence score obtained on a scale from 0 to 7 was of 4.6 (3.8-5.4 95 %CI). The highest scores were 6.6 for non-tobacco use (5.5-7.8 95 %CI) and 6.2 for medication (5.9-6.6 95 %CI). The lowest ones were 0.4 for self-monitoring (0.4-0.5 95 %CI), 3.4 for physical exercise (2.8-4.0 95 %CI) and 4.4 for consuming vegetables (3.7-5.2 95 %CI). The desired metabolic control was achieved in 58 % of patients; however, these results were not consistent with self-reported adherence.The authors recommend independently evaluating adherence for each pattern to strengthen non-pharmacological treatment as part of diabetes' programmes and to implement relevant action for achieving greater accessibility to such programmes.