title: African Americans' perception of risk for diabetes complications.
abstract: The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, correlational study was to describe the perceived risk for diabetes complications among urban African American adults (18-75 years old) with type 2 diabetes and to explore the interrelationships among illness perception, well-being, perceptions of risk for diabetes complications, and selected physiologic measures of diabetes risk: hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure, and microalbuminuria.
  
  
  
  Urban African American adults with type 2 diabetes (N = 143) were recruited from 3 Chicago city public health clinics. They completed a demographic survey and 3 instruments: the Risk Perception Survey-Diabetes Mellitus, the 12-item Well-being Questionnaire, and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. Physiologic measures included blood pressure, urine for microalbuminuria, and capillary blood for A1C.
  
  
  
  There was low perception of risk for diabetes complications, which was incongruent with the physiologic measures of risk. Less than 33% of participants saw themselves as being at high risk for developing any complications of diabetes, with the exception of vision problems (39%), despite the fact that physiologic measures of risk for diabetes complications were high in this sample.
  
  
  
  Risk perception was associated with well-being, perception of negative consequences, number of symptoms, and negative emotions related to diabetes. Risk perception was not in line with risk, as indicated by physiologic measures; thus, it is necessary to heighten this population's perception of risk for diabetes complications.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Calvin, Dr Dancy, Dr Park)|Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Calvin, Dr Fogelfeld)
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calvin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Quinn, Dr Smith)
authors.forename: Lauretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: The Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Calvin, Dr Dancy, Dr Park)
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dancy
authors.affiliation: The Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Calvin, Dr Dancy, Dr Park)
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: The Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Fleming)
authors.forename: Shirley G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Quinn, Dr Smith)
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Calvin, Dr Fogelfeld)
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fogelfeld
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria; D002641:Chicago; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011204:Poverty Areas; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin