Social support among African-American adults with diabetes, Part 2: A review.
Year: 1998
Type: article
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus affects African Americans in disproportionate numbers relative to whites. Proper management of this disease is critical because of the increased morbidity and mortality associated with poor diabetes management. The role of social support in promoting diabetes management and improved glycemic control among African Americans is a little-explored area. This review, the second in a two-part series, examines the relationship between social support and glycemic control among African-American adults with diabetes. The main findings of the study are that African Americans tend to rely more heavily than whites on their informal social networks to meet their disease management needs and that social support is significantly associated with improved diabetes management among members of this population. However, there remains a critical need to systematically include substantial numbers of African-American respondents in studies examining the relationship between social support and glycemic control. Only then can the effects of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other variables on this relationship in African Americans become clear and interventions incorporating relevant aspects of social support be developed.
Source: PubMed Central
Authors: M E Ford, B C Tilley, P E McDonald
Institution: Henry Ford Health
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Institute on Aging
OpenAlex ID: W166851751