Type 2 diabetes management among older American Indians: beliefs, attitudes, and practices

A qualitative exploration of facilitators and barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle among Black, Hispanic, and American Indian males with diabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVES

Higher prevalence of several chronic diseases occurs in men in the United States, including diabetes and prediabetes. Of the 34 million adults with diabetes and 88 million with prediabetes there is a higher prevalence of both conditions in men compared to women. Black, Hispanic, and American Indian men have some of the highest rates of diabetes and diabetes complications. Adopting a healthy lifestyle including healthy eating and physical activity, is important in preventing type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications.

DESIGN

This study included six focus groups that explored facilitators and barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle in Black, Hispanic, and American Indian men with diabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes. Thematic analysis was used to identify facilitators and barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle.

RESULTS

Participants included males 18 years of age and older identifying as Black, Hispanic, or American Indian and diagnosed with prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, or otherwise at risk for type 2 diabetes. Thirty-seven men participated, 19 diagnosed with diabetes and 18 at risk for type 2 diabetes. Fourteen Black, 14 Hispanic, and 9 American Indian men participated. The themes of facilitators to a healthy lifestyle included: family and the social network; psychosocial factors; health status, health priorities and beliefs about aging; knowledge about health and healthy behavior; and healthy community resources. Themes of barriers to a healthy lifestyle also included: mistrust of the health care system, cost, and low socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS

This study underscores the complexity of factors involved in adopting a healthy lifestyle for some racial and ethnic minority men with diabetes or at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Social Support and Diabetes Management Among Older American Indians

Objective

Greater understanding how relationships that can facilitate or impede type 2 diabetes (T2D) management and control among older American Indian people is an overlooked, yet urgently needed strategy. Thus, we examined social support among older American Indian people in relation to their T2D management.

Methods

During the fall 2015, we conducted qualitative interviews with 28 participants aged ≥ 60 years who were members of a federally-recognized tribe. Drawing upon the buffering and direct effects theoretical models of how social support affects health, we examined transcribed audio recordings of the interviews with a systematic text analysis approach. We used a low-inference qualitative descriptive design to provide a situated understanding of participants' life experiences using their naturalistic expressions.

Results

The mean age of our participants was 73.0 ± 6.4 years with a mean HbA1c of 7.3 ± 1.5. Main social support sources were family, clinicians/formal services, community/culture, and spiritual/God. All four common social support types were represented, namely emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support with most being instrumental in nature. A prominent gender difference was seen with respect to men receiving more instrumental support family/friends support than women.

Discussion

Value orientations among American Indian people often reflect extended social systems and interdependence. A deeper understanding is needed of how social relationships can be better leveraged to aid in effective T2D management among older American Indian people. The development and implementation of evidence-based social network interventions with an assets-based orientation that build upon the cultural value of reciprocity hold promise to improve T2D outcomes of older American Indian people.

"Together We Can Return to Balance"-Eastern Woodlands Native Perspectives and Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

To explore the perspectives of Eastern Woodlands Native people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in the context of health beliefs, T2DM disease self-management, and family and community connections.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive method using face-to-face or telephonic semistructured interviews was employed with Native people ages 18 years or older who have a diagnosis of T2DM (N = 12) from an unidentified Eastern Woodlands tribe. The PEN-3 Cultural Model guided the study initially.

RESULTS

The overarching theme "together we can return to balance" corresponded to 5 subthemes: coming to know life paths with T2DM, acknowledging the imbalance, negotiating my way forward, making important connections, and sticking closer to Mother Earth. Dimensions within the subthemes suggest why Native people may not be reaching T2DM treatment goals. Reasons include incomplete diabetes knowledge, difficulty accessing resources, and contextual variations in adoption of conventional diabetes treatments.

CONCLUSION

This study identified themes from Native perspectives about T2DM self-management and about prospects that may mitigate incomplete knowledge and support. Integrating indigenous health and wellness knowledge with conventional principles of diabetes care presents several opportunities for nurses to advance diabetes self-management (DSM) education and support. Including Native health concepts when educating patients about DSM should be viewed as desirable for holistic family and community involvement that is central toward preventing disease progression.

Putting Self-Management in the Context of Community-Dwelling American Indians Living With Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) defined diabetes self-care behaviors (healthy eating, being active, taking medication, monitoring, problem solving, reducing risk, and healthy coping) in the context of older community-dwelling American Indians (AIs).

METHODS

Secondary theme analysis of transcribed semistructured qualitative interview data from 28 participants in the Native Elder Care Study aged >60 years identified factors that influence the DSMES self-care behaviors in the context of community-dwelling AIs.

RESULTS

Four themes that characterized barriers, facilitators, and opportunities for DSMES to support self-care behaviors included community food security, care partners in self-care, community opportunities for diabetes support, and blending of both health worlds.

CONCLUSION

Tribal communities have contemporary strengths and cultural traditions that can be activated to enhance diabetes self-management education and support. Diabetes educators can work in tandem with community health representatives to strengthen the social and community support within which individual AIs with type 2 diabetes mellitus live. Community-based participatory research with AI caregivers, dyads, families, youth, and Indian Health Service clinicians may help to improve tribal food policy and school health initiatives, as well as develop intergenerational interventions for modeling effective diabetes self-management.

Dietary Beliefs and Management of Older American Indians With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVES

This qualitative study examined dietary-related beliefs and self-management among older American Indians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

DESIGN

Semistructured in-person interviews were conducted and digitally recorded.

SETTING

Southeastern American Indian tribal community.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 28 noninstitutionalized older tribal members aged >60 years.

PHENOMENON OF INTEREST

Study participants' beliefs and experiences with dietary practices and management related to T2DM.

ANALYSIS

Transcribed qualitative interviews were coded using an inductive content analysis approach.

RESULTS

Four themes regarding T2DM dietary beliefs and T2DM dietary management emerged from the analyses: diet changes, portion control, health care professional and family influence, and barriers to healthy eating. Study participants described how their beliefs, practices, and experiences in these 4 areas related to T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

American Indian older adults face a variety of challenges to dietary management of T2DM. Future research efforts can focus on assessing how social support can be leveraged to facilitate healthy diets for American Indians with T2DM. Clinicians and diabetes educators and Native communities have an instrumental role in identifying culturally appropriate messages and programs to help persons effectively manage T2DM.