Program in Nursing Science, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3959, USA.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2013 Jun;15(3):553-9. doi: 10.1007/s10903-012-9672-9.
Rising incidence of type 2 diabetes (DM) in Korean immigrants has highlighted the need for better prevention efforts. Health literacy is an important predictor in the utilization of preventative health measures, however little is known about health literacy in Korean immigrants. This study examined DM risk factors in a sample of 145 at-risk Korean immigrants, their level of health literacy, and associations between health literacy and DM risk factors. Findings indicated a high prevalence of DM risk factors and a low level of health literacy in the sample. Health literacy was correlated with English proficiency, acculturation, and lower waist to hip ratios among all participants, and with lower blood glucose levels among highly acculturated participants. Korean immigrants who are less acculturated may have lower health literacy than those who are more acculturated. Thus, linguistically and culturally sensitive health education should be incorporated into diabetes prevention efforts.
韩国移民中 2 型糖尿病（DM）发病率的上升凸显出需要更好的预防措施。健康素养是利用预防保健措施的重要预测因素，但关于韩国移民的健康素养知之甚少。本研究在 145 名高危韩国移民样本中检查了 DM 危险因素、他们的健康素养水平，以及健康素养与 DM 危险因素之间的关联。研究结果表明，该样本中 DM 危险因素的患病率较高，健康素养水平较低。在所有参与者中，健康素养与英语熟练程度、文化适应和较低的腰臀比相关，而在高度文化适应的参与者中与较低的血糖水平相关。文化程度较低的韩国移民可能比文化程度较高的移民健康素养更低。因此，应将语言和文化敏感的健康教育纳入糖尿病预防工作中。
