Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to increase at alarming rates, with over 800,000 new cases developing yearly. Over 16 million cases have been diagnosed and the prevalence is 50-60% higher among African Americans (Murphy & Elders, 1992). African Americans, affected primarily with type 2 diabetes and related complications, have 1.5 million cases diagnosed and over 730,000 are not yet diagnosed (DHHS, 1998) One in four African American women aged 55 and over has diabetes, doubling the rate for white women in the same age group (Harris, 1995). In addition to ethnic differences, gender and and self-management disparities are increasing despite modern advances in diabetes treatment. African American women are less likely than men and whites to have glycemic control, are more likely to have diabetes-related complications, are less likely to practice health behaviors that prevent diabetes risks and complications (Rajaram & Vinson, 1998). Given these challenges, more studies are needed to help us understand variables that facilitate self-initiated responsibility for their diabetes self-management. Using a descriptive cross sectional design, this study aims to describe Diabetes Self Efficacy, Diabetes Locus of Control, Functional Status, a proxy for self-management, and glycemic control (HbA1c) in a sample of 66 African American women with type 2 diabetes. The sample will be stratified into three age groups of 22 subjects representing 25-44 years, 45-64 years, and 65-85 years. Data will be collected using three questionnaires including the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Outcomes Expectancies Questionnaire (DSEQ), the Diabetes-Specific Locus of Control (DLC) scale, the Short Form Medical Outcomes Survey (SF-36), and a demographic form designed to abstract select variables from patients' medical records. Descriptive statistics will describe the variables, Spearman correlation will determine intensity of the relationships among the variables, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) will determine group differences among the variables. Preliminary analyses with demographic variables will be conducted to assess their role in explaining differences among the groups in locus of control, self efficacy, and self management. This pilot study will contribute to the theoretical basis of understanding beliefs held by African American women about "control" over their health and the implications of the findings for increasing subjects' responsibility for health promoting behaviors.
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