Self-Care Practices, Health Beliefs, and Attitudes of Older Diabetic Chinese Americans

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most chronic debilitating diseases in the United States and because of the chronicity and debilitating effects of the disease there is an increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. Consequently, a major portion of diabetes health care dollars is spent on health care and research for adults with this disease. However, research is sparse involving adults 65 years' old or older and ethnic minorities with diabetes (Chen, 2001). These underrepresented populations are vulnerable populations because they are disproportionately affected by diabetes and bear and undue burden of the deleterious effects of the disease. These populations are usually ethnic minorities who are poorer, less educated and face chronic health problems with limited access to health care. Health disparities among vulnerable populations exist