Evaluation of Jamaican Knowledge of Diabetes and Health Beliefs

Background & Aims: The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that over 382 million people worldwide were affected by diabetes in 2013. The Caribbean region consistently is above the global average in regard to diabetes prevalence. Specifically, in Jamaica, researchers have found that the management of diabetes is not consistent with international guidelines, and in Caribbean culture, there are additional health beliefs that may need to be addressed. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate patient diabetes-related knowledge and health beliefs and (2) determine the association between diabetes-related knowledge and health beliefs in rural Jamaica. Methods: Rural Jamaican patients with diabetes (N=48, mean age = 55.16±15.08) were asked to complete questionnaires for cross-sectional examination of knowledge and health beliefs during a medical mission trip to the parish of St. Elizabeth in Jamaica. Participants were asked to verbally complete the Spoken Knowledge in Low Literacy in Diabetes Scale (SKILLD, 10 items) and Health Belief Model-11 (HBM-11, 11 items), as well as a demographic instrument. Analyses were performed in SPSS v. 20.0. Descriptive statistics were performed for all items. Spearman or Pearson correlations, as appropriate, were utilized to assess associations. Differences in HBM subscales by demographic characteristics were assessed using paired t-tests. Results: Participants had poor knowledge of diabetes, particularly regarding signs and symptoms of hyper/hypoglycemia, importance of foot and eye exams, fasting blood glucose levels, and long-term diabetes complications. Knowledge deficits were associated with educational attainment, as many participants had only completed primary school. Most participants indicated they were ready to take action regarding their health, but they perceived there were significant barriers to doing so. Also, older adults were more likely to believe that they could control their diabetes. There were no other differences in knowledge or health beliefs based on demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Among this population of rural Jamaican patients, general knowledge regarding diabetes remains low, but patients want to take action regarding their diabetes. These results indicate a continued need to develop programs to provide diabetes-related education to patients living in rural Jamaica, as patients are ready to improve their management of diabetes