Lee Hannah, Woo Benjamin K P
J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2018 Jun 1;118(6):e33-e40. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2018.087.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a global health issue among Asians, with rising prevalence and increasing disparities in proper disease management. However, studies on the perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes, conducted to improve diabetes disparities, are disproportionately limited in Asian populations compared with other minority populations in the United States.
To determine Chinese Americans' perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes.
Chinese Americans from the greater Los Angeles, California, area were asked to complete a survey. The survey was a self-administered 15-item true/false questionnaire to assess the respondents' perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes. The results of the questionnaire were grouped by age: younger adults (aged <55 years) and older adults (aged ≥55 years). A subset of respondents in each age group was matched based on gender and education, and their responses were analyzed for differences in attitudes toward diabetes. Two-tailed t test and χ2 test were used to compare continuous variables and categorical variables, respectively. Results with P<.05 were considered significant.
A total of 449 of 485 Chinese Americans (93%) completed the survey. Among matched respondents (n=91 in each age group), more older respondents than younger respondents believed that (1) research on diabetes is solely beneficial for profiting pharmaceutical companies (23.1% vs 6.6%; P=.002) and (2) health insurance policies should not cover any costs of diabetes-related illnesses (28.6% vs 15.4%; P=.032).
Older Chinese Americans were more likely to hold stigmatized negative perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes in relation to pharmaceutical companies and health insurance policies. Considering that an individual's belief system largely influences self-care behaviors, actions should be taken to minimize negative perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes.
2型糖尿病是亚洲人面临的一个全球性健康问题，其患病率不断上升，疾病管理方面的差距也在加大。然而，为改善糖尿病差距而开展的关于糖尿病认知和态度的研究，与美国其他少数族裔相比，在亚洲人群中的研究极为有限。
确定华裔美国人对糖尿病的认知和态度。
来自加利福尼亚州大洛杉矶地区的华裔美国人被要求完成一项调查。该调查是一份包含15项是非题的自填式问卷，用于评估受访者对糖尿病的认知和态度。问卷结果按年龄分组：年轻人（年龄<55岁）和老年人（年龄≥55岁）。每个年龄组的一部分受访者按性别和教育程度进行匹配，并分析他们对糖尿病态度的差异。分别使用双尾t检验和χ²检验来比较连续变量和分类变量。P<0.05的结果被认为具有统计学意义。
485名华裔美国人中有449人（93%）完成了调查。在匹配的受访者中（每个年龄组n = 91），与年轻受访者相比，更多的老年受访者认为：（1）糖尿病研究仅仅有利于制药公司获利（23.1%对6.6%；P = 0.002），以及（2）健康保险政策不应涵盖任何糖尿病相关疾病的费用（28.6%对15.4%；P = 0.032）。
年长的华裔美国人在糖尿病与制药公司及健康保险政策方面更容易持有带有污名化的负面认知和态度。鉴于个人的信念体系在很大程度上影响自我护理行为，应采取行动尽量减少对糖尿病的负面认知和态度。
