Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease that affects the body's ability to metabolize glucose effectively. The disease is predicted to be prevalent in over 300 million people by the year 2030. African Americans (AA) have the highest prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the United States. Lifestyle modification and awareness of risk factors, including family history, are important aspects for prevention of developing T2DM. The purpose of this study was to understand if a family history of T2DM played an influential role in individuals making positive health behavior changes for T2DM prevention. The phenomenological study was grounded in the health belief model and also identified barriers associated with inactivity towards positive health behavior changes. Participants selected for this study were at least 18 years of age, self-identified as AA, self-reported a family history of T2DM, and were not diagnosed with the disease themselves. Transcriptions of twenty face-to-face interviews were analyzed via qualitative research software NVivo Version 12 for Mac. Participants demonstrated a strong awareness of T2DM with an accurate definition of T2DM and explanation of signs, symptoms, and prevention. Participants recognized family history as a risk factor in only 55% of the responses. However, family history played a major role in prevention in the lives of the participants. The participants reflected on personal barriers to health behavior changes and were encouraged to incorporate better life choices in their own lives. This research offers communities, healthcare providers, and stakeholders a better understanding of the importance of family history as a risk factor to T2DM as programs are developed to mitigate health disparities in the AA community.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that affects the body’s ability to effectively break down sugar for the consumption of energy
Three questions from the interview gauged the overall knowledge of Type 2 DM (T2DM) by assessing its meaning, the signs and symptoms of the disease, and risk factors associated with the disease
Participants had an array of definitions for diabetes, with all of the responses making a connection with T2DM being a disease of the pancreas and the body’s inability to process carbohydrates
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that affects the body’s ability to effectively break down sugar for the consumption of energy. African Americans are twice as likely to be predisposed to develop diabetes as their European American counterparts [4]. This disparity has elevated the issue to a national concern. Healthy People 2020, through the goals and objectives for diabetes, recognizes there is a significant health disparity among African Americans diagnosed with T2DM [5]. As it pertains to race and ethnicity, African Americans are 50%-100% more likely to develop T2DM compared to their European American counterparts [6]. African Americans are more likely to have disproportionate outcomes as they relate to T2DM and are International Journal of Chronic Diseases twice as likely to experience diabetes-related blindness, lower limb amputations, and depression [4, 7]
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