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.
Clark
Lauren
L
University of Utah, UT, USA.
Vincent
Deborah
D
Zimmer
Lorena
L
Sanchez
Jessica
J
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