| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation presents three separate studies developed to provide structure and evidence-based insight into the characteristics associated with short term and long term foot self-care investments of African Americans living with type 2 diabetes. First, a systematic literature review of thirty-four empirical studies on foot care knowledge and foot self-care interventions in people living with type 2 diabetes will be presented to determine where further interventions and research are needed in foot care.
Secondly, a qualitative examination of common sense associations of lower extremity disease will be presented. Employing an emergent design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The final sample size comprised 12 individuals. The Self-Regulatory Model of Illness Representations was proposed to assist in interpreting the qualitative findings and to theorize factors associated with making common sense assumptions about type 2 diabetes risks and disease progression.
Lastly, a quantitative examination of foot care knowledge using a previously validated foot care questionnaire will be discussed. Qualtrics (Provo, Utah) served as the host site for both pilot- and final testing phases of the questionnaire, but hard copies of the questionnaire were also distributed to participants. The final sample comprised a convenience and snowball sample of African Americans living with type 2 diabetes. Principal components analysis identified six subscales with satisfactory internal consistency (alpha = 0.77-0.91).
Prior to this study, very few interventions were available addressing foot care knowledge and self-care skills within African Americans with type 2 diabetes, very few studies were available that attempted to understand common sense associations of illness representations in African Americans with type 2 diabetes, and there was no standardized instrument for measuring foot care knowledge and foot self-care among people with type 2 diabetes, despite the devastating effects lower extremity complications have on quality of life. Thus, this study attempts to address the limitations associated with foot care knowledge and foot self-care skills research and interventions. | en |
