Diabetes Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Among Somali and Latino Immigrants

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health 2016-12, Vol.18 (6), p.1432-1440
• Main Authors: Njeru, Jane W., Formea, Christine M., Osman, Ahmed, Goodson, Miriam, Hared, Abdullah, Capetillo, Graciela Porraz, Nigon, Julie A., Cha, Stephen S., Weis, Jennifer A., Hanza, Marcelo M. K., Patten, Christi A., Sia, Irene G., Wieland, Mark L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Adults; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Attitudes; Behavior; Behavior modification; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; Chronic Disease Prevention, Screening, and Management; Citizen Participation; Community; Community Relations; Community-Based Participatory Research; Comparative Law; Departments; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - ethnology; Disease control; Disease management; Economic Impact; Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data; Exercise; Female; Focus Groups; Glucose; Health; Health Behavior; Health disparities; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice - ethnology; Health status; Health Status Disparities; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration; International & Foreign Law; Intervention; Knowledge; Male; Management; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Noncitizens; Original Paper; Participatory research; Physical activity; Polls & surveys; Population; Private International Law; Programming; Public Health; Questionnaires; Refugees; Resistance (Psychology); Self Efficacy; Self Management; Selfmanagement; Selfmonitoring; Social development; Social interactions; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Sociology; Somalia - ethnology; Spanish language; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-015-0335-5

Persons from Somalia constitute the largest group of immigrants and refugees from Africa among whom diabetes-related health disparities are well documented. As one of the first steps toward developing a behavioral intervention to address diabetes among Somali immigrants and refugees, we administered a face to face interview-based survey to Somali and Latino adults with diabetes in a single community to assess diabetes knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Respondents (N = 78) reported several barriers to optimal diabetes management for physical activity and glucose self-monitoring, as well as a high burden of disease and negative perceptions of diabetes. High participant engagement in disease management, self-efficacy, and social support were important assets. Similarities suggest that the shared experiences of immigration and related systemic socioeconomic and linguistic factors play a significant role in the understanding and self-management of diabetes in these populations. Together with previously collected qualitative work, the survey findings will inform development of a behavioral intervention to improve outcomes and reduce diabetes-related health disparities among immigrant and refugee groups to the U.S.