African Americans' perception of risk for diabetes complications.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, correlational study was to describe the perceived risk for diabetes complications among urban African American adults (18-75 years old) with type 2 diabetes and to explore the interrelationships among illness perception, well-being, perceptions of risk for diabetes complications, and selected physiologic measures of diabetes risk: hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure, and microalbuminuria.

METHODS:

Urban African American adults with type 2 diabetes (N = 143) were recruited from 3 Chicago city public health clinics. They completed a demographic survey and 3 instruments: the Risk Perception Survey-Diabetes Mellitus, the 12-item Well-being Questionnaire, and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. Physiologic measures included blood pressure, urine for microalbuminuria, and capillary blood for A1C.

RESULTS:

There was low perception of risk for diabetes complications, which was incongruent with the physiologic measures of risk. Less than 33% of participants saw themselves as being at high risk for developing any complications of diabetes, with the exception of vision problems (39%), despite the fact that physiologic measures of risk for diabetes complications were high in this sample.

CONCLUSIONS:

Risk perception was associated with well-being, perception of negative consequences, number of symptoms, and negative emotions related to diabetes. Risk perception was not in line with risk, as indicated by physiologic measures; thus, it is necessary to heighten this population's perception of risk for diabetes complications.

• Authors: Donna Calvin, Lauretta Quinn, Barbara Dancy, Chang Park, Shirley G Fleming, Eva Smith, Leon Fogelfeld
• Journal: The Diabetes educator (Diabetes Educ) 2011 Sep-Oct Vol. 37 Issue 5 Pg. 689-98 ISSN: 1554-6063 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21859677 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Glycated Hemoglobin A

Topics

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Black or African American (psychology)
• Aged
• Albuminuria
• Chicago
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Diabetes Complications (ethnology, prevention & control)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (ethnology, psychology)
• Female
• Glycated Hemoglobin
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Hypertension
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Poverty Areas
• Risk Assessment