Association Between Diabetes Knowledge and Self-Management Among Portuguese Americans With Type 2 Diabetes

This study examined the relationship between diabetes knowledge and self-management among Portuguese Americans with type 2 diabetes.

This study included 500 Portuguese Americans with type 2 diabetes using a cross-sectional design with convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected via an electronic survey comprising sociodemographic information, the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (DMKT), and the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ).

The participants' mean age was 33.5. They were predominantly male (55.6%). The average disease duration was 3.98 years. Despite nearly half of the participants holding bachelor's degrees (48.2%), the mean diabetes knowledge score was moderate at 4.92 (SD ± 1.20) on a 0-10 scale, with self-management averaging 5.86 (SD ± 1.56). Age showed negative correlations with diabetes knowledge and self-management (r = -0.100, p < 0.05, r = -0.125, p < 0.01, respectively). Diabetes knowledge was positively correlated with employment and self-management (r = 0.096, r = 0.284, p < 0.01). Self-management demonstrated positive correlations with education (r = 0.154, p < 0.01), employment (r = 0.192, p < 0.01), years of residence in the United States (r = 0.111, p < 0.05, diabetes duration (r = 0.176, p < 0.01), and HbA1C levels (r = 0.201, p < 0.05).

These findings suggest that factors, such as educational attainment, employment status, and lived experiences (including longer duration with diabetes and living in the United States), may influence diabetes knowledge, self-management, or both. Notably, the results emphasize that healthcare providers should recognize, when developing patient education plans, that a higher level of education does not necessarily correlate with knowledge of specific health conditions such as diabetes. Future research should explore culturally and contextually appropriate strategies, such as Portuguese-language educational materials and self-management programs, to enhance diabetes-related knowledge and self-care among Portuguese Americans.