1. Self-Management, Health Service Use and Information Seeking for Diabetes Care among Black Caribbean Immigrants in Toronto
- Author
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Dragan Kljujic, Yogendra Shakya, Mehreen Bhamani, Fedaa Boqaileh, Joanna Anneke Rummens, Dianne Patychuk, Enza Gucciardi, and Ilene Hyman
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Gerontology ,Dieticians ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Immigration ,Black People ,Emigrants and Immigrants ,Type 2 diabetes ,Endocrinology ,Diabetes mellitus ,Internal Medicine ,Humans ,Medicine ,media_common ,Ontario ,Chi-Square Distribution ,Self-management ,business.industry ,Information seeking ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,Patient Acceptance of Health Care ,medicine.disease ,Self Care ,Caribbean Region ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ,Community health ,Population study ,Female ,business - Abstract
Objective The objective of this research was to explore self-management practices and the use of diabetes information and care among Black-Caribbean immigrants with type 2 diabetes. Method The study population included Black-Caribbean immigrants and Canadian-born participants between the ages of 35 to 64 years with type 2 diabetes. Study participants were recruited from community health centres (CHCs), diabetes education centres, hospital-based diabetes clinics, the Canadian Diabetes Association and immigrant-serving organizations. A structured questionnaire was used to collect demographics and information related to diabetes status, self-management practices and the use of diabetes information and care. Results Interviews were conducted with 48 Black-Caribbean immigrants and 54 Canadian-born participants with type 2 diabetes. Black-Caribbean immigrants were significantly more likely than the Canadian-born group to engage in recommended diabetes self-management practices (i.e. reduced fat diet, reduced carbohydrate diet, non-smoking and regular physical activity) and receive regular A1C and eye screening by a health professional. Black-Caribbean immigrant participants were significantly more likely to report receiving diabetes information and care through a community health centre (CHC) and nurses and dieticians than their Canadian-born counterparts. Conclusions CHCs and allied health professionals play an important role in the management of diabetes in the Black-Caribbean immigrant community and may contribute to this group's favourable diabetes self-management profile and access to information and care. Additional research is necessary to confirm whether these findings are generalizable to the Black-Caribbean community in general (i.e. immigrant and non-immigrant) and to determine whether the use of CHCs and/or allied health professionals is associated with favourable outcomes in the Black-Caribbean immigrant community as well as others.
- Published
- 2014
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