Cultural orientation and diabetes self-care in low-income African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between cultural variables and diabetes self-care behaviors and glycemic control among African Americans with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Questionnaires assessing traditional African-American cultural orientation, ethnic identity, self-identification, and diabetes self-care were administered to a sample of 94 low-income, African-American, inner-city hospital outpatients with type 2 diabetes. Participants were predominantly female (64%), with an average age of 53 years, and most had attained less than or equal to a high school education (66%).


RESULTS
No significant relationships were found among ethnic identity, self-identification, glycemic control, and diabetes self-care behaviors. Traditional African-American cultural orientation was significantly associated with decreased dietary adherence scores (P<.03). Increased scores on cultural mistrust were related to decreased dietary adherence scores (P<.002). Traditional food practices showed a non-significant trend toward decreased dietary adherence in conjunction with number of dependents and income (P<.055).


CONCLUSIONS
Traditional African-American cultural orientation was found to be associated with decreased dietary adherence scores in a sample of urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Assessment of the cultural orientation of African-American patients has the potential to assist providers in designing culturally tailored, diabetes-specific dietary interventions.
Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. degroot@ohio.edu
Mary
M
de Groot
Garry
G
Welch
Golden T
GT
Buckland
Mona
M
Fergus
Laurie
L
Ruggiero
Stuart R
SR
Chipkin
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011203:Poverty; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
D001786:Blood Glucose