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Diabetes is a global health challenge. An estimated 930 people have diabetes globally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.6% of the United States population have diabetes. Diabetes can be prevented and managed through self-care activities such as increased physical activity, healthy diet, adherence to medication, blood glucose monitoring, and other healthy behaviors. Because diabetes requires self-management, health literacy is vital to achieve these goals. Literature suggests that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus possess insufficient health literacy. This highlights the need for healthcare professionals to tailor educational initiatives, modify interventions, and adopt a personalized approach based on each patient's level of health literacy. This research aimed to identify how health literacy impacts diabetes self-management behaviors and how to improve health literacy and self-management within diabetes education programs. This study used a non-experimental qualitative method, using content analysis to explore scholarly and grey literature. The sample included qualitative data on health literacy, diabetes self-management, and diabetes management education programs. The findings from this research suggested that there is a prevalence of low health literacy among patients with type 2 diabetes, and it has a significant impact on patient-provider communication. Also, diabetes educational programs that were culturally sensitive and individualized had better impacts on patient health outcomes. This study suggests that integrating culture into intervention programs can contribute to improved health outcomes for ethnic minorities and improved overall patient care satisfaction. Strategies that can help improve health outcomes in diabetes education programs include individualized programs, health literacy screening for patients, and culturally sensitive programs.