Brittany L. Smalls

Glucose control in diabetes: the impact of racial differences on monitoring and outcomes.

Type 2 diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and is projected to increase in prevalence globally. Minorities are disproportionately affected by diabetes and data suggest that clinical outcomes consistently fall below American Diabetes Association recommendations. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine ethnic differences in self-monitoring and outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes. Medline was searched for articles published between January 1990 and January 2012 by means of a reproducible strategy. Inclusion criteria included (1) published in English, (2) targeted African Americans, Hispanic, or Asian adults, ages 18+ years with type 2 diabetes, (3) cross-sectional, cohort, or intervention study, and (4) measured change in glycemic control, BP, lipids, or quality of life by race. Twenty-two papers met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Overall, significant racial differences and barriers were found in published studies in diabetes management as it pertains to self-monitoring and outcomes. African Americans tend to consistently exhibit worse outcomes and control when compared to other minority populations and non-Hispanic Whites. In conclusion, significant racial differences and barriers exist in diabetes management as it pertains to self-monitoring and outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Explanatory and intervention studies are needed to determine the mechanisms and mediators of these differences and strategies to reduce these disparities. In addition, more research is needed to investigate the impact of racial differences in self-monitoring and outcomes on quality of life.

Diabetes Empowerment, Medication Adherence and Self-Care Behaviors in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that empowerment is an important factor to address everyday aspects of dealing with a chronic disease. This study evaluated the effect of diabetes empowerment on medication adherence and self-care behaviors in adults with type 2 diabetes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data on 378 subjects with type 2 diabetes recruited from two primary care clinics in the southeastern United States were examined. Previously validated scales were used to measure diabetes empowerment, medication adherence, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-care behaviors (including diet, physical activity, blood sugar testing, and foot care). Multiple linear regression was used to assess the independent effect of diabetes empowerment on medication adherence and self-care behaviors controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS Eighty-three percent were non-Hispanic blacks, 69% were women, 22% were 65 years or older, 68% were not married, 26% had less than high school education, 60% were unemployed, 39% were uninsured, and 47% had a yearly income <

Associations between Coping, Diabetes Knowledge, Medication Adherence, and Self-Care Behaviors in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

10,000. Empowerment had significant correlations with medication adherence (r=0.17, P<0.003), diabetes knowledge (r=0.16, P=0.007), diet (r=0.24, P<0.001), exercise (r=0.25, P<0.001), blood sugar testing (r=0.12, P=0.043), and foot care (r=0.18, P=0.002). In the regression model, diabetes empowerment was significantly associated with medication adherence (β=-0.04, P=0.001), diabetes knowledge (β=0.09, P=0.012), diet (β=0.09, P<0.001), exercise (β=0.10, P<0.001), blood sugar testing (β=0.07, P=0.016), and foot care (β=0.08, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS In this sample, diabetes empowerment was related to better diabetes knowledge, medication adherence and improved self-care behaviors. Emphasis on empowerment and self-efficacy is relevant to improve outcomes in the management of diabetes.

Direct and indirect effects of neighborhood factors and self-care on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the emotional approach to coping on diabetes outcomes. This study examined the relationship between emotional coping and diabetes knowledge, medication adherence and self-care behaviors in adults with type 2 diabetes. METHODS Data on 378 subjects with type 2 diabetes recruited from two primary care clinics in the southeastern United States were examined. Previously validated scales were used to measure coping, medication adherence, diabetes knowledge and diabetes self-care behaviors (including diet, physical activity, blood sugar testing and foot care). Multiple linear regression was used to assess the independent effect of coping through emotional approach on medication adherence and self-care behaviors while controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS Significant correlations were observed between emotional coping [as measured by emotional expression (EE) and emotional processing (EP)] and self-care behaviors. In the linear regression model, EP was significantly associated with medication adherence [β -0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.32 to -0.015], diabetes knowledge (β 0.76, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.24), diet (β 0.52, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.81), exercise (β 0.51, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.82), blood sugar testing (β 0.54, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.91) and foot care (β 0.32, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.67). On the other hand, EE was associated with diet (β 0.38, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.64), exercise (β 0.54, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.82), blood sugar testing (β 0.42, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.76) and foot care (β 0.36, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.66), but it was not associated with diabetes knowledge. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that coping through an emotional approach is significantly associated with behaviors that lead to positive diabetes outcomes.

Social determinants of health in adults with type 2 diabetes—Contribution of mutable and immutable factors

AIM To determine whether neighborhood factors have direct or indirect effects, via self-care behaviors on glycemic control. METHODS Adult patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from an academic medical center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the southeastern United States. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to create latent variables for neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct and indirect effects between neighborhood factors and glycemic control as assessed by HbA1c levels. RESULTS CFA yielded four latent variables for neighborhood factors (neighborhood violence, access to healthy food, social support, and neighborhood aesthetics) and one latent variable diabetes self-care. We found that social support (β=0.28, z=4.86, p<0.001) and access to healthy foods (β=-0.17, z=-2.95, p=0.003) had direct effects on self-care; self-care (β=-0.15, z=-2.48, p=0.013) and neighborhood aesthetics (β=0.12, z=2.19, p=0.03) had direct effects on glycemic control; while social support (β=-0.04, z=-2.26, p=0.02) had an indirect effect on glycemic control via self-care. CONCLUSION This study showed that self-care behaviors and neighborhood aesthetics have direct effects on glycemic control, social support and access to health foods had direct effects on self-care, and social support had an indirect effect on glycemic control via self-care.

Effect of neighborhood factors on diabetes self-care behaviors in adults with type 2 diabetes

AIMS Socioeconomic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors influence clinical outcomes and self-care behaviors in diabetes; however, few studies simultaneously assessed the impact of multiple social determinant of health factors on glycemic control. We used an explanatory model to examine the differential contribution of social determinants and clinical factors on glycemic control. Secondarily, we examined the contribution of mutable and immutable factors to identify meaningful future interventions. METHODS Six hundred and fifteen adults with type 2 diabetes in the southeastern United States were recruited. A hierarchical model was run with HbA1c as the dependent variable and independent variables entered in blocks: demographics (block 1), socioeconomic (block 2), psychosocial (block 3), built environment (block 4), clinical (block 5), and knowledge/self-care (block 6). RESULTS Significant associations for HbA1c included self-efficacy (β=-0.10, p<0.001), social support (β=0.01, p<0.05), comorbidity (β=-0.09, p<0.05), insulin use (β=0.95, p<0.001), medication adherence (β=-0.11, p<0.05), and being a former smoker (β=0.34, p<0.05); accounting for 24.4% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS Important factors that drive glycemic control are mutable, and amenable to health interventions. Greater attention should be given to interventions that increase self-efficacy and social support, reduce the burden of comorbidities, and enhance medication adherence and smoking cessation.

Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Risk Control in Adults With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify latent variables for neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care and examine the effect of neighborhood factors on diabetes self-care in adults with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS 615 subjects were recruited from an academic medical center and a Veterans affairs medical center in the southeastern United States. Validated scales were used to assess neighborhood factors and diabetes-related self-care. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the latent constructs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then used to assess the relationship between neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care. RESULTS Based on a theoretical framework, CFA yielded four latent variables for neighborhood factors (neighborhood violence, access to healthy food, social support, and neighborhood esthetics) and one latent variable diabetes self-care (including diet, exercise, foot care, blood sugar testing and medication adherence). SEM showed that social support (r=0.28, p<0.001) and access to healthy foods (r=-0.16, p=0.003) were significantly associated with self-care behaviors, while neighborhood violence (r=-0.06, p<0.001) and esthetics (r=-0.07, p=0.278) were not χ(2) (180, N=611)=192, p=0.26, RMSEA=0.01, CFI=0.999). In the final trimmed model, social support (r=0.31, p<0.001) and access to healthy foods (r=-0.20, p<0.001) remained significantly associated with self-care behaviors χ(2) (76, N=611)=60, p=0.91, RMSEA=0.00, CFI=1.0). CONCLUSION This study developed latent factors for neighborhood characteristics and diabetes self-care and found that social support and access to healthy foods were significantly associated with diabetes self-care and should be considered as targets for future interventions.

Community Interventions to Improve Glycemic Control in African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systemic Review

Objective: To examine the association between subjective social status (SSS) and objective social status (OSS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Adult study participants (N = 358) were recruited from 2 primary care settings. The CVD risk factors included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C). The OSS was assessed by income, education and employment. The SSS was measured using the validated MacArthur Scales of Subjective Social Status to demarcate self‐reported perceptions of having the most money, education and respected job using a ladder scale (1 = rung 1, 10 = rung 10). Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between CVD risk factors and SSC and OSS controlling for age, sex, race or ethnicity, marital status, employment status, income, study site, comorbidity, education and insurance status. Results: Fully adjusted models showed that rung 2 (P = 0.029), rung 3 (P = 0.032), rung 8 (P = 0.049) and rung 9 (P = 0.032) of the SSS to be significantly associated with poorer DBP. Annual income ≥

Survival, Healthcare Utilization, and End-of-life Care Among Older Adults With Malignancy-associated Bowel Obstruction: Comparative Study of Surgery, Venting Gastrostomy, or Medical Management

75,000 was significantly associated with lower LDL‐C (P = 0.021). Employment was associated with lower HbA1c (P = 0.036), but higher LDL‐C (P = 0.002). Conclusions: The SSS and OSSS levels are differentially associated with HbA1c, DBP and LDL‐C. Findings provide new information about patients’ perspectives of the relationship between social status and diabetes‐related outcomes.

Conceptualizing the Effect of Community and Neighborhood Factors on Type 2 Diabetes Health Outcomes

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of published community interventions to evaluate different components of community interventions and their ability to positively impact glycemic control in African Americans with T2DM. Methods: Medline, PsychInfo, and CINAHL were searched for potentially eligible studies published from January 2000 through January 2012. The following inclusion criteria were established for publications: (1) describe a community intervention, not prevention; (2) specifically indicate, in data analysis and results, the impact of the community intervention on African American adults, 18 years and older; (3) measure glycemic control (HbA1C) as an outcome measure; and (4) involve patients in a community setting, which excludes hospitals and hospital clinics. Results: Thirteen studies out of 9,233 articles identified in the search met the predetermined inclusion criteria. There were 5 randomized control trials and 3 reported improved glycemic control in the intervention group compared to the control group at the completion of the study. Of the 8 studies that were not randomized control trials, 6 showed a statistically significant change in HbA1C. Conclusion: In general, the community interventions assessed led to significant reductions in HbA1C in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Community health workers did not have a greater impact on glycemic control in this sample. The findings of this study provides insight for designing community-based interventions in the future, such as including use of multiple delivery methods, consideration of mobile device software, nutritionist educator, and curriculum-based approaches.