Type 2 diabetes in China: Health behaviors, diabetes self-management, and self-rated health.

摘要

This project addresses the causes and consequences of type 2 diabetes among middleaged and older adults, and the applicability of Western models to different populations. Little attention is given to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes and its correlates in China. This project analyzes data selected from the Chinese Health and Nutrition Surveys (CHNS), 1997--2009, to investigate three research questions: 1) how do unhealthy behaviors affect the occurrence of type 2 diabetes; 2) how is type 2 diabetes diagnosis associated with self-rated health (SRH); and 3) is diabetes self-management (DSM) (i.e., conventional and integrated DSM) associated with SRH among adults aged 45 and older in China. The first inquiry employs a case-control study design and conditional logistic regression, while the second and the third inquiry use binomial logistic regression. The findings reveal that: 1) past and current smoking, high carbohydrate intake, and physical inactivity increase the risks for type 2 diabetes among 45 and older adults in China after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and demographic factors; 2) type 2 diabetes diagnosis impairs SRH; and 3) neither conventional DSM nor integrated DSM is associated with SRH among 45 and older Chinese diabetics. Overall, the findings suggest that Western models of type 2 diabetes are partially applicable to a non-Western culture and add new knowledge to the existing literature in understanding diabetes-related consequence on well-being. Furthermore, this project acknowledges the urgency of including sociocultural variations to inform Western research, and provides empirical evidence for further scientific investigation, education, and policy planning on diabetes-related public health outcomes in China.