OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess realized access, determine the existence of equitable or inequitable access and find the factors affecting the adherence to the three diabetes care components  METHODS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2010 was used as the data source. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine equitable or inequitable access to the recommended levels of diabetes care. Data analysis was performed using SAS ® version 9.2 RESULTS: Realized access was highest for biannual glycosylated hemoglobin testing (80.30%) followed by annual dilated eye examination (70.39%) and daily self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) (63.00%). Hierarchical logistic regression revealed, enabling resources drove access to recommended level of SMBG and HbA1c testing, while recommended level of eye exams were driven by predisposing characteristics. Uninsured individuals and those who did not receive diabetes education were less least to adhere to diabetes care CONCLUSIONS: Realized access of daily SMBG needs to be increased by appropriate measures. The results suggest that inequitable access exists for all the three diabetes care components. Thus, measures for increasing equitable access are recommended. Knowing the factors affecting adherence to diabetes care may assist intervention planners, diabetes educators and healthcare professionals in attempting to improve diabetes management.