The relationship between Self-efficacy and Diabetes management in African Americans with Type 2 diabetes - A pilot study

Abstract. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between self-efficacy and diabetes management as indicated by HbA1c, weight, BMI and total cholesterol among African Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) as well as the differences in self-efficacy between genders. Method A convenient sample of 45 participants from a patient centered diabetes education program filled out a self-reported self-efficacy survey (DES) by Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center, at the time of their metabolic testing. They were tested for their weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), fingerstick glucose and HbA1c. Pearson correlations were calculated to determine the associations between our self-efficacy and these indicators of diabetes management. Results We found a significant gender difference between the total self-efficacy scores among our population. In terms of self-efficacy, we found no significant relationship between self-efficacy and our indicators of diabetes management or socioeconomic findings of participants. Conclusion There were no significant relationships between the indicators of diabetes management tested in our study and self-efficacy in our pilot study. However, we found significant differences in self efficacy between genders. Therefore, further investigation with a larger sample is needed to test the significance of the correlations in our study.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Nutritio