The University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin (Baumann)
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (Opio, Otim)
Diabetes Educ. 2010 Mar-Apr;36(2):293-300. doi: 10.1177/0145721709358460. Epub 2010 Jan 12.
The purpose of this study was to describe illness beliefs and diabetes self-care behaviors of Ugandan adults with type 2 diabetes.
A convenience sample of 340 adults with type 2 diabetes was recruited from 2 outpatient settings in Kampala, Uganda. Participants were interviewed by a nurse about diabetes self-care behaviors; had their weight, height, and waist and hip circumference measured; and shared with the interviewer the blood glucose and blood pressure values obtained during their clinic visit.
The majority of participants viewed diabetes as a serious, life-long condition that they had a good deal of control over; however, while 88% believed they could tell high blood glucose by the presence of symptoms, only 39% said they could detect low blood glucose by the presence of symptoms. Self-care challenges include limited access to appropriate food, diabetes medications, blood glucose testing equipment, and educational materials. Subjects reported significant negative psychosocial outcomes associated with having diabetes. Using selected indicators for metabolic syndrome, 87% had elevated blood pressure, and 67% had elevated blood glucose; 33.4% were overweight, and 18.7% were obese.
Results from this study highlight the challenges of diabetes self-care in resource-poor countries. Improving diabetes care will require systems-level interventions to provide access to basic resources as well as to social support and educational interventions.
本研究旨在描述乌干达成年 2 型糖尿病患者的疾病信念和糖尿病自我护理行为。
本研究采用便利抽样法，从乌干达坎帕拉的 2 家门诊机构招募了 340 名成年 2 型糖尿病患者。由护士对患者进行糖尿病自我护理行为访谈，测量其体重、身高、腰围和臀围，并与访谈者分享其在就诊期间获得的血糖和血压值。
大多数参与者认为糖尿病是一种严重的、终身性疾病，他们可以很好地控制病情；然而，尽管 88%的患者认为可以通过症状来判断高血糖，但只有 39%的患者表示可以通过症状来发现低血糖。自我护理的挑战包括难以获得适当的食物、糖尿病药物、血糖检测设备和教育材料。研究对象报告了与糖尿病相关的显著负面心理社会后果。使用代谢综合征的选定指标，87%的患者血压升高，67%的患者血糖升高；33.4%的患者超重，18.7%的患者肥胖。
本研究结果突显了资源匮乏国家糖尿病自我护理的挑战。改善糖尿病护理需要系统层面的干预措施，以提供获得基本资源的机会，以及社会支持和教育干预措施。
