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Older adults' common sense models of diabetes
Joseph G Grzywacz1, Thomas A Arcury, Edward H Ip
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. grzywacz@wfubmc.edu
Objective:
To investigate the importance of viewing belief systems about health maintenance holistically.
Methods:
Qualitative (N=74) and quantitative data (N=95) were obtained from a multi-ethnic rural-dwelling sample of older adults with diabetes to characterize their common sense models (CSMs) of diabetes.
Results:
There is a discrete number of CSMs held by older adults, each characterized by unique clusters of diabetes-related knowledge and beliefs. Individuals whose CSM was shaped by biomedical knowledge were better able to achieve glycemic control.
Conclusions:
Viewing individuals' health beliefs incrementally or in a piece-meal strategy may be less effective for health behavior change than focusing on beliefs holistically.
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