Latina Diabetics and Body Image

描述(申请人提供)：预防性保健是糖尿病并发症一级和二级预防的基石。在美国，拉丁裔患糖尿病的终生风险比其他任何群体都要高--52.5%。肥胖使拉美裔人患糖尿病的风险更高。然而，让拉丁裔糖尿病患者参加预防性运动或节食养生的努力收效甚微。关于外表和自我护理的基于文化的态度和做法可能存在争议，但关于这一主题的研究很少。加强对拉丁裔糖尿病患者的身体形象和自我护理问题的了解，可以提高糖尿病预防干预的效果。我们在这个项目中的具体目标是对糖尿病拉丁裔进行一项关于影响锻炼和/或饮食选择的身体形象和自我护理因素的焦点小组研究。焦点小组的发现将被用来为拉丁裔糖尿病患者开发预防性干预措施，反映出基于文化的对身体形象和自我护理的态度。发展这种干预是我们的长期目标，我们将通过后续资金来追求这一目标。拟议项目的结果也可能有助于围绕其他对拉丁裔健康状况产生不成比例影响的健康状况进行干预，这些健康状况对锻炼和饮食至关重要，例如肥胖、高血压和心血管疾病。

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.