PREVALENCE OF DIABETES AMONGST AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE NORDIC REGION AND THE NURSES ROLE IN HEALTH PROMOTION -A LITERATURE REVIEW.

Diabetes is a significant public health issue. Its prevalence has dramatically increased everywhere including Finland and other Nordic countries. Diabetes is linked to several comorbidities in addition to being a significant risk factor for complications such as micro- and macrovascular diseases. Despite improvements in diabetes care's results, diabetes prevalence is continually on the rise, hence requiring more health care resources. This literature review is to raise awareness about the growing prevalence of diabetes amongst African immigrants in the Nordics and promote the exchange of best practices and quality information, and influence policies. Most important is the recognition that diabetes is a serious disease and that people with diabetes can live long, healthy lives with self-care and proper support. It is also important to understand that the rising diabetes curve can only be flattened by encouraging early action by the health care system, such as creating a health-promoting environment, addressing the determinants of health and shifting the focus to prevention of diabetes rather than cure. The method chosen to conduct this study was a systematic literature review. Several articles were collected through electronic database searches of EBSCO, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis used was qualitative Analysis and this was performed using thematic analysis. Codes were derived from the from the article group together and further developed into themes. In conclusion the growing burden of chronic diseases, especially diabetes, among immigrants and ethnic minorities poses a serious public health challenge for many European countries and since the influx of immigrants is on a steady increase