How African Immigrant Adult Men Experience their Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Daily: Presentation of Key Findings and Recommendations for Further Research from a Previous Study

Abstract

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects many people globally. Normally when you eat, the food is broken down, yielding different nutrients including glucose, commonly known as sugar. The body stores some of the glucose in the liver, but majority of it enters the bloodstream to reach the body’s cells which use the glucose as energy to carry out their specific functions. Insulin, a hormone made in the organ, pancreas is needed to help the glucose reach most cells of the body, fueling them to perform their specific functions. Diabetes manifest when blood glucose is too high. With type 2 diabetes, there is a problem with the glucose entering the body’s cells to fuel them, while majority accumulates in the blood. Over time without effective management, high blood glucose could cause health issues including damage to the eyes, heart, kidneys, and feet.Minority populations such as African Americans, especially men have borne more burden of Type 2 diabetes when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Limited research has been conducted to explore this condition with regard to African immigrants, who make up approximately 4% of the African American population. This paper presents the summary of key findings and recommendations for further research froma previousstudy, Lived Experiences of African Immigrant Males Ages 25-75 who have Type 2 Diabetes (Uzochukwu, 2014).