12^th European Diabetes Congress

Biography

Biography: Love Onuorah

Abstract

Diabetes and its complications disproportionately affect ethnic minority groups. It is estimated to be the fifth leading cause of death in the U.K., with about 10% of the NHS annual budget used for its treatment. Despite the various educational programs to enhance self-management, the outcome remains poor. Adequate plans and policies informed by findings from assessing the views of the population at high risk is needed for desirable outcome. There is a gap in literature on the views and knowledge of diabetes for the high risk black Africans. Studies indicate that perceptions or knowledge about health and illnesses influence behaviors and attitudes towards health conditions like diabetes. Hence, programs for diabetes prevention and self-management should be based on findings from exploring individual or groups’ perceptions. This systematic review explores the views and knowledge about this disease and its impact on self-management among black Africans. Key data bases were systematically searched and the papers that met the strict inclusion criteria were selected. Primary empirical studies, written in English language, assessing perception (and its synonyms) and self-management in blacks, black Africans, African-Caribbean and African-Americans were included. Selected studies were assessed for Methodological quality using the McMaster framework, and the studies were extracted under relevant headings. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify the different emergent themes. Findings on how black Africans perceive or understand type-2 diabetes and how that influences its management will be presented.