Barriers and facilitators to perceived diabetes self-management in Arab American patients with diabetes.

To assess perceptions surrounding diabetes self-management (DSM) behaviors in Arab American patients with diabetes. A 39-item survey was constructed from focus group discussions designed to better understand the impact of Arab American culture on DSM behaviors. The survey assessed perceptions about diet, adherence to medications, exercise, healthy lifestyle, and family support. Two hundred Arab Americans with diabetes completed the survey via face-to-face interviews. Most patients were female (59%), over fifty years of age (79%), and immigrated from Lebanon (73%). Receiving instructions in Arabic, having family support, family understanding of food choices, and employment status were found to be important predictors of the perceived importance of DSM. Our findings suggest that there are multiple factors that dictate Arab American's perception of the importance of DSM. The survey that was constructed may serve as a valuable tool for providers to assess DSM perceptions in order to provide patient-centered care that will help to improve diabetes outcomes. This study supports the importance of integrating cultural influences into DSM education and support when providing care to a population with a strong cultural identity.

El Masri D ，Koscielniak N ，Piatt G ，DiZazzo-Miller R ，Arnetz J ，Jaber LA ... -  《-》

Diabetes self-management among Arab Americans: patient and provider perspectives.

Fritz H ，DiZazzo-Miller R ，Bertran EA ，Pociask FD ，Tarakji S ，Arnetz J ，Lysack CL ，Jaber LA ... -  《BMC International Health and Human Rights》

The Impact of Arab American Culture on Diabetes Self-management Education.

The purpose of this study was to better understand barriers and facilitators of diabetes self-management education (DSME) among Arab American patients with diabetes. Little is known about the impact of Arab culture on DSME. Arab American adults (N = 23) with medically managed diabetes participated in 1 of 3 focus groups. An Arabic-speaking, trained moderator conducted video-recorded sessions. Verbatim Arabic transcripts were translated into English. Transcripts underwent a qualitative content analysis approach. Arab American cultural traditions such as food sharing, religious beliefs, and gender roles both facilitated and at times impeded DSME. Patients also held conflicting views about their interactions with their providers; some participants praised the authoritative patient-physician relationship style while others perceived the gaps in communication to be a product of Arab culture. Participants expressed that lack of available educational and supportive resources are key barriers to DSME. Arab American culture affects DSM activities, and culturally sensitive educational resources are lacking. Development of DSME programs tailored to address relevant aspects of Arab culture might improve DSME outcomes in Arab American population.

Bertran EA ，Fritz H ，Abbas M ，Tarakji S ，DiZazzo-Miller R ，Pociask FD ，Lysack CL ，Arnetz J ，Jaber LA ... -  《-》

The Arab American experience with diabetes: Perceptions, myths and implications for culturally-specific interventions.

Culturally-specific lifestyle diabetes prevention programs require an assessment of population disease perceptions and cultural influences on health beliefs and behaviors. The primary objectives were to assess Arab Americans' knowledge and perceptions of diabetes and their preferences for a lifestyle intervention. Sixty-nine self-identified Arab or Arab Americans ≥30 years of age and without diabetes participated in 8 focus groups. Emerging themes from the data included myths about diabetes etiology, folk remedies, and social stigma. The main barrier to healthcare was lack of health insurance and/or cost of care. Intervention preferences included gender-specific exercise, group-delivered education featuring religious ideology, inclusion of the family, and utilization of community facilities. Lifestyle interventions for Arab Americans need to address cultural preferences, diabetes myths, and folk remedies. Interventions should incorporate Arabic cultural content and gender-specific group education and exercise. Utilization of family support and religious centers will enable culturally-acceptable and cost-effective interventions.

Bertran EA ，Pinelli NR ，Sills SJ ，Jaber LA ... -  《-》

Determinants of successful diabetes self-management behaviors among women of Arab descent with Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) continues to be an escalating public health problem contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Although the complications of T2D is a major threat to the health of women of Arab descent, there is lack of information about their health practices and diabetes self-management behaviors. The purpose is to examine the impact of diabetes knowledge, social/family support, acculturation, and diabetes-related emotional distress on DSM behaviors and glycemic control among women of Arab descent utilizing the Roy Adaptation Model. A non-experimental correlational descriptive design. The BMI, Diabetes knowledge, diabetes-related emotional distress, and the level of HbA1C explained 28% of the variance in DSM behaviors. DSM behaviors were negatively related to diabetes-related emotional distress. DSM behaviors were positively related to diabetes knowledge and HbA1C. The findings of this work provided a foundation for further advanced research design including experimental designs to expand the knowledge of this phenomenon and how to manage this disease successfully yet a culturally appropriate method.

Alanazi M 《-》