AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore how young adults with a non-western immigrant background and type 1 @entity6 since childhood/adolescence have perceived learning to live with the disease, with special focus on health education and support. BACKGROUND: A national Danish study found significantly poorer metabolic control in non-western immigrant @entity1 and adolescents as compared with ethnic Danes. Subsequent studies have primarily focused on immigrant parents, whereas little is known about how immigrant @entity1 /adolescents have perceived the diagnosis and the @entity6 care and support provided. DESIGN: A mixed quantitative and qualitative design was applied. This included data on metabolic control for 2002-2006 and semi-structured interviews in 2006 with eleven strategically selected young immigrants. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: The findings are described in three thematic categories: Perceptions and reactions at the time of diagnosis; Learning to manage the disease; Present and future life with @entity6 . Some findings were similar to those in studies describing @entity1 and adolescents of western origin, but the @entity1 also shared perceptions which appeared to be related to their immigrant background. Above all, they described their parents as having difficulty coping with the disease and providing them with sufficient support. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of @entity6 in immigrant @entity1 and adolescents requires special pedagogic and psychosocial approaches to bridge the gaps related to culture and traditions and introduce the concept of @entity6 management, not least to the parents, in a more optimum way. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: @entity6 care should be a continuous and holistic process, constantly aiming to explore existing knowledge and the need for additional education and support for both the @entity1 and his/her family. Special attention should be paid to the fact that immigrants may have limited pre-knowledge of @entity102 in childhood, including the concept of selfcare.

Learning to live with type 1 XXXX from the perspective of young non-western immigrants in Denmark.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'children', 'patient'] @entity102 :: ('MESH:D002908', 'Disease') :: ['chronic diseases'] @entity6 :: ('MESH:D003920', 'Disease') :: ['Diabetes', 'diabetes']
@entity6 :: (MESH:D003920,Disease) :: ['diabetes']
