Abstract: ObjectiveTo explore medical economic burden and coping strategy for diabetes mellitus patients in rural areas of Shandong province. MethodsMulti-stratified sampling was used to select 356 rural diabetes mellitus patients from 3 counties in Shandong province and a face-to-face questionnaire survey was carried out in the patients. ResultsThe average out-of-pocket medical expenditure of a diabetes patient was 2 793 RMB Yuan per year,which accounted for 66.9% of annual personal income,and the average out-patient and in-patient payment were 2 175 and 629 RMB Yuan,respectively.Of the patients,22.5% fell into poverty due to diabetes mellitus,and the poverty degree increased by 2 472 RMB Yuan.The percentage of family income,support from relatives or friends,and familial saving to cope with the medical expenditure was 63.8%,31.7%,and 20.2%,respectively.Family size,age,income and medical expenditure were main factors influencing the coping strategy. ConclusionHeavy medical economic burden of diabetes calls for more coping strategies.Effective measures should be taken to alleviate economic burden of diabetes mellitus patients.