HEALTH PROMOTION PRACTICE / January 200671January Our Lives Were Healthier Before: Focus Groups With African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino, and Hmong People With Diabetes

Focus groups were conducted to explore health-related beliefs and experiences of African American, Hispanic/ Latino, American Indian, and Hmong people with dia-betes and engage community members in improving diabetes care and education for these populations. Eighty participants attended 12 focus groups, 3 per pop-ulation. Major themes were loss of health attributed to modern American lifestyles, lack of confidence in the medical system, and the importance of spirituality. Par-ticipants recommended improvements in the areas of health care, diabetes education, social support, and community action. Their recommendations emphasize the importance of respectful, knowledgeable health care providers; culturally responsive diabetes educa-tion for people with diabetes and their families; and broad-based community action. These recommenda-tions align with current public health priorities and medical knowledge. It is proposed that healthy tradi-tions from diverse populations can be leveraged to improve the health of all people with diabetes