2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

326585
Illness Representations of Lower Extremity Disease among African Americans living with Type 2 Diabetes


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Timethia Bonner, DPM, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Idethia Harvey, DrPH, Department of Health and Kinesiology; Transdisciplinary Center for Health Equity Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Ledric Sherman, PhD, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Purpose:The purpose of this study was to investigate how personal illness representations of type 2 diabetes affected the level of foot care knowledge and self-care strategies among African Americans adults.

Methods:Thirteen African Americans (ages 32-72 years) participated in individual semi-structured qualitative interviews regarding self-care practices and lower extremity disease knowledge related to type 2 diabetes.  Using phenomenological methodology, all interviews were transcribed and analyzed by the research team for themes. 

Results:Three major themes emerged from the interviews: basic foot care knowledge, lower extremity disease knowledge, and patient provider communication.  The study yielded that the majority of the participants lacked understanding of basic diabetic foot care as well as how lower extremity complications can evolve from uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. 

Conclusions: Diabetes self-management education is an essential component that could aid in the improvement of poor health outcomes of African Americans.  Diabetes self-management education programs should consider implementing more detailed foot care educational tools, especially those individuals who are impacted with complications due to the disease, and that can lead to lower extremity amputations.  This study provided insight on the importance of this knowledge as it relates to making common sense assumptions about the disease and self-management strategies.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe illness representations of lower extremity disease among African Americans living with type 2 diabetes.

Keyword(s): Self-Management, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principle investigator of the study to be presented during the APHA 143rd annual meeting. Among my research interests has been the implementation of foot self-care strategies within standardized diabetes self-care management education programs.
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.

Back to: 4158.0: Any topic on a health policy related to foot and ankle care and its impact on delivery of care