A Church-based Diabetes Care Survey in St. Thomas U. S. Virgin Islands

摘要

Forty-eight (N = 48) African-Caribbeans participated in a church-based diabetes care survey in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether integration was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms and glycemic control in persons with type 2 diabetes among African-Caribbeans in faith-based organizations (FBO), controlling for demographic variables. Data were collected on measures of integration of diabetes, acceptance, depressive symptoms, number of hypoglycemic episodes, hemoglobin A1C, and demographic characteristics. The majority of subjects were female. Acceptance and depression were negatively correlated, and acceptance and integration were positively correlated. Depression and number of mild hypoglycemic episodes were also positively correlated. Surprisingly, integration was not significantly related to hemoglobin A1c, number of hypoglycemic episodes, and depressive symptoms. Implications of these findings are presented.