Each month, a paper of major relevance to the field of health disparities is selected as
“Paper of the Month”
by the NIH EXPORT Center for
Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos (CEHDL). This month’s paper
was authored by Dr. Carbone, Dr. Torres and colleagues.
Patient Educouns. 2007 May;66(2):202-10. Epub 2007 Feb 27.
Diabetes self-management: Perspectives of Latino patients and their health care providers.
Carbone ET, Rosal MC, Torres MI, Goins KV, Bermudez OI.
Lifestyle modification programs tailored to experience, culture, psychosocial characteristics, and world-view can improve knowledge, self-care behaviors,
and glucose control among Latinos with diabetes. Few data exist, however, on improving diabetes self-management among Latinos. In addition, views and
practices of practitioners caring for these patients have received little attention. OBJECTIVE: This study describes findings from qualitative research to inform
the refinement of self-management interventions tailored to Latino patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Two practitioner focus groups assessed
perceptions of patients' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Four patient
focus groups examined knowledge, beliefs, practices, barriers, and facilitators.
Data were transcribed and subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients seeking care at a community clinic participated, along with 15
health care practitioners. Important knowledge gaps regarding diabetes causation and self-management were identified. Negative attitudes towards
self-management were common among patients. Key facilitators included strong religious faith and support of medical practitioners. Families both
facilitated and prevented adoption of self-management practices. CONCLUSION: This study provides uniqueinsights into the knowledge, attitudes,
practices, and perceived barriers facing Latino patients and their providers regarding diabetes self-management. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
Study findings underscore the need to develop tailored programs for this population and to train practitioners on their implementation.
This article can be downloaded at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TBC-4N5170B-2&_user=669286&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000036298&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=669286&md5=67f17fa67da973197b62a3b8d56411a6
