Cultural adaptation of a diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programme for two low resource urban settings in Ghana, during the COVID-19 era

Roberta Lamptey; Melanie J Davies; Kamlesh Khunti; Sally Schreder; Bernie Stribling; Michelle Hadjiconstantinou

doi:10.1186/s12913-022-08390-8

Cultural adaptation of a diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programme for two low resource urban settings in Ghana, during the COVID-19 era

BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Aug 5;22(1):996. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08390-8.

Authors

Roberta Lamptey^{1

2

3}, Melanie J Davies⁴, Kamlesh Khunti⁴, Sally Schreder⁵, Bernie Stribling⁵, Michelle Hadjiconstantinou⁶

Affiliations

¹ Family Medicine and Polyclinic Department Korle, Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
² Community Health Department, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
³ Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
⁴ Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
⁵ Leicester Diabetes Centre, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
⁶ Diabetes Research Centre, Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. mh333@le.ac.uk.

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a significant public health problem globally and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programmes are associated with improved psychological and clinical outcomes. There are currently no structured DSMES available in Ghana. We sought to adapt an evidence-based DSMES intervention for the Ghanaian population in collaboration with the local Ghanaian people.

Methods: We used virtual engagements with UK-based DSMES trainers, produced locally culturally and linguistically appropriate content and modified the logistics needed for the delivery of the self-management programme to suit people with low literacy and low health literacy levels.

Conclusions: A respectful understanding of the socio-cultural belief systems in Ghana as well as the peculiar challenges of low resources settings and low health literacy is necessary for adaptation of any DSMES programme for Ghana. We identified key cultural, linguistic, and logistic considerations to incorporate into a DSMES programme for Ghanaians, guided by the Ecological Validity Model. These insights can be used further to scale up availability of structured DSMES in Ghana and other low- middle- income countries.

Keywords: Cultural adaptation; Ghana; LMICs; Structured diabetes self-management education.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / therapy
Ghana / epidemiology
Health Behavior
Humans
Self-Management* / education