"Diabetes is my companion": Lifestyle and self-management among good and poor control Mexican diabetic patients

Javier Garcia de Alba Garcia, Ana L. Salcedo Rocha, Ivette Lopez, Roberta D. Baer, William Dressler and Susan C. Weller

Social Science & Medicine, 2007, vol. 64, issue 11, 2223-2235

Abstract: This paper identifies naturally occurring lifestyle and self-care practices in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus that are associated with good glycemic control. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted in Guadalajara, Mexico, with 31 matched pairs of good and poor control diabetic patients (n=62), who were matched on their duration of disease and use of medications. While many themes were listed by both groups, a comparison of the responses indicated that themes of daily exercise with a preference for walking, eating beef and milk rather than chicken and fish, economic issues, and emotional issues distinguished poor-control patients. Good-control patients were more likely to have a negative reaction to their initial diagnosis, take a more comprehensive approach to control, eat only two meals a day (plus snacks), use noncaloric beverages to satisfy desires for more food, and know what their blood sugar levels should be.

Keywords: Mexico; Diabetes; mellitus; Qualitative; research; Glycemic; control; Hispanics/Latinos; Self-management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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