Ford M E, Tilley B C, McDonald P E
Henry Ford Health System, Center for Medical Treatment Effectiveness Programs, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
J Natl Med Assoc. 1998 Jul;90(7):425-32.
Diabetes mellitus affects African Americans in disproportionate numbers relative to whites. Proper management of this disease is critical because of the increased morbidity and mortality associated with poor diabetes management. The role of social support in promoting diabetes management and improved glycemic control among African Americans is a little-explored area. This review, the second in a two-part series, examines the relationship between social support and glycemic control among African-American adults with diabetes. The main findings of the study are that African Americans tend to rely more heavily than whites on their informal social networks to meet their disease management needs and that social support is significantly associated with improved diabetes management among members of this population. However, there remains a critical need to systematically include substantial numbers of African-American respondents in studies examining the relationship between social support and glycemic control. Only then can the effects of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other variables on this relationship in African Americans become clear and interventions incorporating relevant aspects of social support be developed.
与白人相比，糖尿病在非裔美国人中的发病率更高。由于糖尿病管理不善会增加发病率和死亡率，因此对该疾病进行妥善管理至关重要。社会支持在促进非裔美国人糖尿病管理和改善血糖控制方面的作用是一个鲜有研究的领域。本综述是一个两部分系列中的第二篇，探讨了患有糖尿病的非裔美国成年人中社会支持与血糖控制之间的关系。该研究的主要发现是，与白人相比，非裔美国人往往更依赖其非正式社交网络来满足疾病管理需求，并且社会支持与该人群中糖尿病管理的改善显著相关。然而，在研究社会支持与血糖控制之间的关系时，仍然迫切需要系统地纳入大量非裔美国受访者。只有这样，年龄、性别、社会经济地位和其他变量对非裔美国人这种关系的影响才能明确，并且才能制定出纳入社会支持相关方面的干预措施。
