Lower knowledge about diabetes among foreign-born compared to Swedish-born persons with diabetes-A descriptive study.
Sara Pettersson, Emina Hadziabdic, Helén Marklund and 1 others
PMID 30918686WHAT IT FOUND
Foreign-born adults with type 2 diabetes in Sweden had lower diabetes knowledge than Swedish-born adults, especially about diet, blood glucose testing and complications.
Assess what a person knows before teaching. Being diagnosed in Sweden does not guarantee understanding.
Key findings
01Foreign-born participants had lower general diabetes knowledge than Swedish-born participants: 36 foreign-born scored below 7 points, compared with 14 Swedish-born.
02Country of birth was the strongest independent determinant of poor general knowledge: poor knowledge was almost ten times higher for people born in the Middle East or outside Europe and five times higher for people born in a European country, compared with Swedish-born people.
03Foreign-born participants had knowledge deficits on eight general questions, especially the definition of a free food, the purpose of HbA1c testing, food that should not be used to treat low blood glucose, and numbness and tingling as symptoms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, so it cannot show why the knowledge difference existed or whether tailored education would improve it. The sample came from one clinic and used convenience sampling, with 138 participants, so it may not represent all foreign-born or Swedish-born people with type 2 diabetes. From 379 inquiries, 242 did not answer and 52 did not want to participate. People with known psychiatric diagnoses were excluded, so the findings do not cover people whose cognition might be affected. The insulin part was answered only by insulin-treated participants, so comparisons of that part apply to a subgroup. The study measured knowledge at one time point and did not test an education programme.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that being foreign-born causes poor diabetes knowledge. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, and the difference may reflect education, language, employment, social network and other factors.