Reducing Health Disparities and Improving Health Equity in St. Lucia

Prevalence rates and poor outcomes for hypertension and diabetes in St. Lucia mirror health disparities observed among African-Americans in the U.S.  We devised a pilot study to examine risk and protective factors among these populations. We aim to discern approaches to help reduce health disparities in St. Lucia that may serve as a replicable model framework in the U.S.

Patient information obtained:   identification of client needs, concepts/understanding of chronic disease, perceptions of healthcare treatment, and social determinants of health.  Providers/administrators information obtained:  healthcare experience, chronic disease management, challenges in healthcare treatment, and consensus-building.

Utilizing a mixed methods approach, adult clients at risk for/diagnosed with diabetes (n=157) and healthcare providers/administrators (n=39) were recruited from five (5) diverse St. Lucian-based healthcare facilities to assess their views on the aforementioned topics.  Content analyses of the qualitative data were conducted.  

Preliminary analyses of qualitative data indicate: an awareness of the relatively high prevalence of diabetes and other chronic illnesses; acknowledgement of socioeconomic status (SES) on the impact of diagnoses and health outcomes; and indication of a desire for better accessibility to healthcare services and improvements to existing healthcare infrastructures.

Based on the preliminary results, investigators acknowledge that culture, tradition, and values of St. Lucians are critical to developing culturally-tailored integrative healthcare to holistically address physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral problems.  Reducing health disparities may include research training and implementation, monitoring, and tracking of local, regional and national health policies, workforce development, community health education and promotion of culturally-centered prevention and intervention approaches.