Diabetes self-care: lessons from research on the family and broader contexts.
The foundation of diabetes management is the self-care behavior of the patient. All of the systems within which the person with diabetes interacts, as well as the media and broader social and cultural values, affect this self-care behavior. In this article I focus on recent research that has examined the link between relationships in the patient's intimate network (i.e., family and close friends) and in the patient's exchange network (i.e., patient-provider relationship, Internet support). The goal of this review is to identify relational targets associated with self-care behaviors that are potentially modifiable within the diabetes medical care setting. Evidence-based suggestions are made for points of intervention entry, and areas for future research are explored.
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Children's Nutrition Research Center, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA. bja@bcm.tmc.edu
Barbara J
BJ
Anderson
D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012648:Self Care; D012944:Social Support