Self-Care Management of African American Men with Type 2 Diabetes

Self-Care Management of African American Men with Type 2 Diabetes by Kevin Konstantinos MS, Rutgers University, 1996 BS, Rutgers University, 1986 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University February 2018 Abstract African American men are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes and have a 3 times higher rate of 3 serious complications of diabetes, including blindness, amputations, and end-stage renal disease, compared to other groups. The purpose of this project was to address the gap-in-practice disparity that exists in care of African American men with diabetes by providing one-on-one self-care management education in an outpatient clinic setting. The behavior change theories that supported the project intervention were Orem’s self-care theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 33 participants between the ages of 40 and 65 were divided into an intervention group (n = 18) and a comparison group (n = 15) by selfselection. Only participants in the intervention group received the diabetes self-care education program. Both groups completed pretest and the posttest questionnaires that collected demographic data and data from the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, the Diabetes Knowledge Test, and the Self-Efficacy for Diabetes tool. Statistically significant differences between the groups were found in the posttest scores of self-care activities, diabetes knowledge, and self-efficacy. The differences can most likely be attributed to the diabetes education intervention. This project demonstrated that diabetes self-care management education can be provided effectively in the clinic office setting, making diabetes education more available to and accessible for patients who need it most. Integrating diabetes self-care education into primary care providers’ offices has the potential to address the gap-in-practice that exists for African American men with type 2 diabetes and contribute to social change by preventing disease progression.African American men are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes and have a 3 times higher rate of 3 serious complications of diabetes, including blindness, amputations, and end-stage renal disease, compared to other groups. The purpose of this project was to address the gap-in-practice disparity that exists in care of African American men with diabetes by providing one-on-one self-care management education in an outpatient clinic setting. The behavior change theories that supported the project intervention were Orem’s self-care theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 33 participants between the ages of 40 and 65 were divided into an intervention group (n = 18) and a comparison group (n = 15) by selfselection. Only participants in the intervention group received the diabetes self-care education program. Both groups completed pretest and the posttest questionnaires that collected demographic data and data from the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, the Diabetes Knowledge Test, and the Self-Efficacy for Diabetes tool. Statistically significant differences between the groups were found in the posttest scores of self-care activities, diabetes knowledge, and self-efficacy. The differences can most likely be attributed to the diabetes education intervention. This project demonstrated that diabetes self-care management education can be provided effectively in the clinic office setting, making diabetes education more available to and accessible for patients who need it most. Integrating diabetes self-care education into primary care providers’ offices has the potential to address the gap-in-practice that exists for African American men with type 2 diabetes and contribute to social change by preventing disease progression. Self-Care Management of African American Men with Type 2 Diabetes by Kevin Konstantinos MS, Rutgers University, 1996 BS, Rutgers University, 1986 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University February 2018 Dedication This project is dedicated to my parents, my family, and especially my wife who provided me with the motivation and time needed to complete this journey.