Background: 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.
Aims: 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.
Method: A non-experimental correlational descriptive design.
Results: 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.
Conclusions: 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.
Keywords: Acculturation; Diabetes knowledge; Diabetes related emotional distress; Social/family support; Type 2 Diabetes; Women of Arab descent.
Copyright © 2020 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.