Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Diabetes Among Chinese Americans

Abstract

Context: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a global health issue among Asians, with rising prevalence and increasing disparities in proper disease management. However, studies on the perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes, conducted to improve diabetes disparities, are disproportionately limited in Asian populations compared with other minority populations in the United States. Objective: To determine Chinese Americans' perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes. Methods: Chinese Americans from the greater Los Angeles, California, area were asked to complete a survey. The survey was a self-administered 15-item true/false questionnaire to assess the respondents' perceptions of and attitudes toward diabetes. The results of the questionnaire were grouped by age: younger adults (aged <55 years) and older adults (aged ≥55 years). A subset of respondents in each age group was matched based on gender and education, and their responses were analyzed for differences in attitudes toward diabetes. Two-tailed t test and χ2 test were used to compare continuous variables and categorical variables, respectively. Results with P