Women responded to 10 closed-ended statements related to their perceptions of their ability to influence their own health outcomes (Table 6). The women’s discernment of the subtle phrasing differences in the series of attitudinal statements suggested that they had read and understood each question. The women’s responses strongly suggested that they know there are things [...]

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Instrument Development
While it would have been ideal to use an instrument that had previously been validated for this data collection, no instrument was identified that addressed the specific questions that were the focus of this inquiry. Hence, an instrument was developed and pilot tested, first with focus interviews and focus groups and then with a [...]

Continue reading " Women’s Perceptions of Their Most Serious Health Problems: METHODS "

The sample included 1,055 African-American women living in San Diego County between the ages of 20 and 94, with a mean age of 40.5 years (SD=15.6). This weighting of younger participants in the sample is consistent with the age distribution of the region’s African-American population. While 6% of the county’s population is African-American, only 3.1% [...]

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INTRODUCTION
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, are among the leading causes of disability and death. Diabetes, for example, is not only a significant cause of death, but it is also a major risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease as well [...]

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The first task is the education of policymakers on the urgent need for action to prevent the looming epidemic of diabetes (Table 4). The WHO, practicing physicians, healthcare workers, civic organizations and academia should take the lead in this regard. Local diabetes organizations could be a rallying point for sensitizing governments to the importance of [...]

Continue reading " Primary Prevention of Type-2 Diabetes: Translation of DPP Results in Developing Countries "

The complications of diabetes are rife among patients in developing countries. Ironically, many of these countries lack the wherewithal for adequate management of target-organ dysfunction. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, renal replacement therapy (either chronic dialysis or transplantation services), laser surgery for retinopathy, invasive cardiology and coronary rescue procedures are not routinely available, even in [...]

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Pattern of Diabetes in Developing Countries
Some unique aspects (Table 2) of the diabetes epidemic in developing countries include: 1) younger age group, 2) female gender preponderance, and 3) rural-to-urban area step-up in diabetes prevalence. In developing countries, the majority of people with diabetes are in the age range of 45-64 years, as compared to aged [...]

Continue reading " Primary Prevention of Type-2 Diabetes: Pattern of Diabetes in Developing Countries "