Diabetes Knowledge and Sources of Information Among African American and White Older Women

Abstract

African American women have a disproportionate risk of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Despite this risk, evidence indicates that educational interventions are not aimed at this population. We also currently lack basic information about the source of diabetes information for African American women and how such sources might affect their knowledge of the disease. We interviewed 51 women with diabetes to address such deficits in our understanding and, conceivably, to contribute culturally sensitive recommendations to enhance glucose control. To detect ethnic variations in knowledge and information source, half of our selected sample was African American and half was white. Results indicate that African American respondents achieved lower scores on the Diabetes Knowledge Test than their white counterparts. However, few differences were noted in the source of diabetes information, with both groups receiving their information from a wide variety of sources. Implications for health providers and educators are discussed.