Cultural values and political economic contexts of diabetes among low-income Mexican Americans.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the political and economic dimensions of diabetes self-management for Mexican American adults.


METHODS
Critical ethnographic analysis of focus group data from caregivers and adults with diabetes.


RESULTS
Three themes were identified: diabetes self-management is tied to other mental and bodily states, family and neighborhood environments cause stress and prevent diabetes solutions, and hassles of the health care environment subvert self-management.


CONCLUSIONS
Cultural constructs about diabetes merge with social-political forces in explaining diabetes.


CONCLUSIONS
Cultural competence in diabetes care requires attention to the political economy of the disease and advocacy for healthful political and economic change.
University of Utah, UT, USA.
Lauren
L
Clark
Deborah
D
Vincent
Lorena
L
Zimmer
Jessica
J
Sanchez
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D017028:Caregivers; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011057:Politics; D011203:Poverty; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012945:Social Values; D015206:Southwestern United States