SELF-MANAGEMENT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN HISPANICS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES
Rationale/Background: There is a paucity of literature that demonstrates that differences exist in T2DM management activities between men and women, especially among Hispanics. Understanding of gender differences in management of T2DM activities is critical to be able to tailor interventions to optimize self-management outcomes.
Methods: A total of 93 females and 50 males with T2DM completed base line data collection as part of an intervention study. Independent samples t-test was used to test for differences in self-management activities between females and males.
Results: Age ranged from 35 to75 years (mean 53.27, SD 9.0), time with diabetes ranged from 1 to 40 years (mean 11.09, SD 7.3), the majority were married (73.1%), had less than a high school education (68.6%), and had a family income less than $25,000 (85.3%). There were no differences between males and females on age, time with diabetes, marital status, education, or income. Significant gender differences were reported in diet self-management (p=.03; Females: Mean 3.52, SD 1.4; Males: Mean 2.94, SD 1.6), foot care self-management (p=.01; Females: Mean 5.18, SD 1.8; Males: Mean 4.11, SD 2.5) and total self-management activities (p=.02; Females: Mean 4.02, SD 1.1; Males: Mean 3.44, SD 1.5). Females performed self-management activities with greater frequency than males. Both genders performed most self-management activities on average 4 or fewer days a week.
Implications: The results indicate that self-management activities need to be increased for both males and females with increased attention directed to males with T2DM. Future research needs to explore tailoring interventions to gender as well as culture.