Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors (KABB) of Diabetes Among Afro-Caribbeans Near Brooklyn, New York

Diabetes is an epidemic in the U.S. that unduly affects minority groups. African Americans are more than two times as likely to die from diabetes than whites. Literature previously established that some population groups have a negative perception toward medical professionals and visiting a doctor's office and/or hospital when a health problem occurs. In New York City, where a large group of Afro-Caribbeans live, diabetes prevalence more than doubled over the past 10 years with over half a million adults diagnosed. Due to a gap in literature in the U.S. on type 2 diabetes among English-speaking Afro-Caribbeans, this study recruited participants in seven New York City churches diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and determined whether they shared knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors about screening and the development of complications and whether they would attend a type 2 diabetes class or workshop if their churches offered it. A 114-item questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 28 participants ages 35 to 90 years old, primarily from Barbados, to collect demographic, health insurance, health care provider, diabetes, and cultural belief information. The conceptual framework of the social ecological model was used for discovery about social influences and the cultural consensus model was used to analyze shared knowledge of type 2 diabetes. The key finding from the analyses discovered study participants had a level of agreement of .52 (± .192 SD). Additionally, 85.2 percent of study participants were willing to attend a type 2 diabetes workshop if their churches offered it. Positive social change implications include enhanced quality of life from increased awareness and education and the critical need for church leaders to collaborate with health care providers, which would save lives and millions of dollars in health care costs each year.