Yoon Young Ji, An Soonok, Choi Y Joon, Lee Hee Yun
Department of Social Work, Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo, CO, USA.
School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Ethn Health. 2024 Oct;29(7):793-808. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2024.2385109. Epub 2024 Jul 31.
Although diabetes is one of the leading causes of death among Korean Americans, the levels and predictors of diabetes knowledge in this group have not been sufficiently reported. This study aimed to (1) describe the level of diabetes knowledge of Korean immigrant women in the U.S. and (2) examine whether there is an interaction effect between social support and education on diabetes knowledge.
This study conducted a cross-sectional survey design. The sample included 227 Korean immigrant women living in the southeast region of the U.S. The fourteen items of the Diabetes Knowledge Test were used to assess the diabetes knowledge level of Korean American women. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the interaction effect between social support and education on diabetes knowledge.
Only 6% of the participants presented a good diabetes knowledge level, 12.5% had a poor level, and the majority (81.5%) had a moderate level. We found a significant interaction effect between social support and education on diabetes knowledge. The highest diabetes knowledge was observed when individuals with a lower education level had higher social support.
Future health practices and policies may focus on increasing knowledge among Korean American women with lower education levels and lower social support. Implementing peer-led initiatives can enhance diabetes knowledge and encourage better self-care practices within the community.
尽管糖尿病是韩裔美国人的主要死因之一，但该群体中糖尿病知识的水平和预测因素尚未得到充分报道。本研究旨在：（1）描述美国韩裔移民女性的糖尿病知识水平；（2）检验社会支持和教育对糖尿病知识是否存在交互作用。
本研究采用横断面调查设计。样本包括居住在美国东南部地区的227名韩裔移民女性。糖尿病知识测试的14个项目用于评估韩裔美国女性的糖尿病知识水平。进行多元线性回归分析以检验社会支持和教育对糖尿病知识的交互作用。
只有6%的参与者具有良好的糖尿病知识水平，12.5%的参与者水平较差，大多数（81.5%）处于中等水平。我们发现社会支持和教育对糖尿病知识存在显著的交互作用。当教育水平较低的个体具有较高的社会支持时，糖尿病知识水平最高。
未来的健康实践和政策可能侧重于提高教育水平较低且社会支持较少的韩裔美国女性的知识水平。实施同伴主导的倡议可以增强糖尿病知识，并鼓励社区内更好的自我护理实践。
