Self-Care Management among African Americans living with Type 2 Diabetes

African Americans bear a disproportionate burden of morbidity, amputation, and death from complications secondary to type 2 diabetes. One of the most devastating complications from diabetes, lower extremity amputation, is 2.5 times higher in African Americans than in white individuals (Scollan-Koliopoulos, 2004). Amputations, caused by diabetes, pose grave implications for individuals and their families in terms of psychosocial, physical, functional, and financial implications (Scollan-Koliopoulos, 2004). For diabetics with lower extremity disease, improved control of modifiable risk factors may reduce the risk of progression to late stage disease (Dorsey, Eberhardt, Gregg, & Geiss, 2009). Utz et al (2008) states that the national standard recommendation for people living with diabetes is that they should receive diabetes self-management training from a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, and dieticians. Health people 2020 objectives pertaining to reducing the diabetes-related complications and deaths can be achieved through patient education initiatives that teach individuals proper foot care and measures to prevent amputations (Scollan-Koliopoulos, 2004). Melkus et al (2010) noted that despite the establishment of many accredited diabetes self-management treatment programs in various clinical settings, ethnic minority participation in such programs is low. While there is widespread agreement that self-care practices play a critical role in the management of chronic illnesses, little is known about the daily self-care practices of chronically ill African Americans (Becker, Gates, & Newsome, 2004). This exploratory study examines the knowledge, beliefs, and self-care management practices of African Americans living with type 2 diabetes who may potentially be at risk for lower extremity disease.