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Social support in type-2 diabetes self management behaviors among Caribbean women
Type-2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in the U. S. Virgin Islands, affecting approximately 9.4% of women compared to 8.1% of men. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes have compelling reasons to adopt a healthier lifestyle; nevertheless, making lifestyle changes can be daunting task. The goal of this project is to identify and understand the role of social support in diabetes self-management practices among residents in the U. S. Virgin Islands. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were collected from 24 women (mean age = 69 years) across the three territories (St. Thomas = 10, St John = 9, and St Croix = 5). The average diagnosis of diabetes was 13.2 years (SD = 5.93). Pearson correlation was computed to assess the relationship between social support desired and social support received for the management of diabetes. Overall, there was a positive correlation between support desired and support received from friends and family members. Thematic analysis was used to understand the patterns and meanings of social relationship in illness management. The qualitative analysis affirmed the importance of social support through the emergent of three themes: 1) social support to initiate behavioral change; 2) strategies to support behavioral change; and 3) activities to improve health. Our findings confirm that relational-based self-management programs have positive influences on health outcomes and important implications in the design of interventions to enhance active self-management behaviors among women residing in the U S Virgin Islands.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Learning Objectives:
Describe how social support influences the way Caribbean women manage their type-2 diabetes
Identify potential support resources that might be available to USVI residents patterns of social for diabetes self management
Keyword(s): Diabetes, Self-Management
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the self-management behaviors and health disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
