Latina Diabetics and Body Image

描述（由申请人提供）：预防保健是糖尿病并发症一级和二级预防的基石。在美国，拉丁美洲人患糖尿病的风险比其他任何群体都要高，达到52.5%。肥胖使拉丁美洲人患糖尿病的风险更高。然而，让拉丁裔糖尿病患者参与预防性锻炼或饮食方案的努力收效甚微。基于文化的关于外表和自我保健的态度和做法可能是有争议的，但关于这一主题的研究很少。加强对拉丁裔糖尿病患者身体形象和自我保健问题的了解，可以提高糖尿病预防干预措施的效果。在这个项目中，我们的具体目的是对拉丁裔糖尿病患者进行焦点小组研究，研究影响运动和/或饮食选择的身体形象和自我保健因素。焦点小组的研究结果将用于制定拉丁裔糖尿病患者的预防性干预措施，以反映基于文化的对身体形象和自我保健的态度。开发这种干预措施是我们的长期目标，我们将通过后续资金来实现这一目标。拟议项目的研究结果也可能有助于制定针对其他健康状况的干预措施，例如肥胖、高血压和心血管疾病，这些健康状况严重影响拉丁裔人，运动和饮食对这些疾病很重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Preventive health care is the cornerstone of primary and secondary prevention of diabetes complications. In the U.S., Latinas have a higher lifetime risk for developing diabetes than any other group -- 52.5 percent. Obesity raises an individual Latina's risk for diabetes even higher. Yet, efforts to engage diabetic Latinas in preventive exercise or diet regimens have had little success. Culturally-based attitudes and practices concerning appearance and self care may be at issue, but there is little research on this topic. An enhanced understanding of body image and self-care concerns of diabetic Latinas can lead to improved efficacy of diabetes preventive interventions. Our specific aim in this project is to conduct a focus group study with diabetic Latinas on body image and self-care factors that influence choices to exercise and/or diet. Focus group findings will be used to develop a preventive intervention for Latina diabetics that reflect culturally based attitudes about body image and self care. Developing this intervention is our long-term goal which we will pursue through follow-up funding. Findings from the proposed project may also be useful in intervention development around other health conditions disproportionately affecting Latinas for which exercise and diet are important, e.g. obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.