"Plenty of sickness": descriptions by African Americans living in rural areas with type 2 diabetes.
The purposes of this study were to (1) describe facilitators and barriers to self-care for African Americans with type 2 diabetes living in a rural community, (2) compare experiences of men and women, and (3) solicit recommendations for programs of care.



Focus groups with small numbers of men and women (n = 7) were held to explore facilitators and barriers to self-management. Groups were led by moderators of the same gender and race as participants. Data from these information-rich cases were analyzed thematically using FolioViews and Inspiration software.



Final categories included "being diagnosed," "diabetes as betrayal by the body," "provider-individual-family relationship," "self-management," and "difficulty getting help." Although limited by sample size and methodology, results indicate differences by gender that require additional investigation.



Knowledge of self-care patterns is foundational to designing culturally appropriate interventions and programs of care for rural African Americans living with diabetes.
Wenzel
Jennifer
J
The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville
Utz
Sharon W
SW
The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville
Steeves
Richard
R
The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville
Hinton
Ivy
I
The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville
Jones
Randy A
RA
The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville
D001294:Attitude to Health; D044383:Black People; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D012648:Self Care; D014768:Virginia; D001741:Black or African American