“I put diabetes on the shelf”: African-American Women’s Perceptions of Risk for Diabetes Complications

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of African American (AA) women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) about developing diabetes mellitus (DM) complications and explore how their perceived risk influenced DM self-management. Ten ( N = 10) AA women participated in the qualitative description study through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis informed by the Health Belief Model and Risk Perception Conceptual Model revealed the perceived probability of DM complications by AA women with T2DM and how they made judgments regarding the seriousness, extent, or severity of complications. Those with high levels of DM knowledge perceived themselves at high risk of developing DM complications and those with low DM knowledge perceived themselves at low risk of DM complications. Risk perceptions and health literacy also influenced DM self-management behaviors.

Perceptions of psychosocial and interpersonal factors affecting self-management behaviors among African Americans with diabetes

“…The lack of knowledge resulting in these beliefs have been discussed previously and were commonly associated with long-term diabetes complications. 13 , 37 Our findings indicate that among African Americans with diabetes, negative beliefs due to a lack of knowledge may be present at diagnosis as well.…”

Perceived Future Outcomes of Unsuccessful Treatment and Their Association with Treatment Persistence Among Type-2 Diabetes Patients: A Cross-Sectional Content Analysis

“…For the quantitative analysis, we hypothesised that the following factors might be associated with non-persistent treatment: (1) absence of knowledge regarding future problems with untreated T2DM; and (2) recognition of the need for treatment for progressing T2DM, such as the use of insulin or dialysis. These hypotheses were based on past studies indicating that knowledge of T2DM complications is associated with risk perception [ 20 ] and that patients with T2DM perceive insulin therapy as a negative experience with a low intention of treatment engagement [ 21 ].…”