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Diabetes self-care: Lessons from research on the family and broader contexts

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Abstract

The foundation of diabetes management is the self-care behavior of the patient. All of the systems within which the person with diabetes interacts, as well as the media and broader social and cultural values, affect this self-care behavior. In this article I focus on recent research that has examined the link between relationships in the patient’s intimate network (ie, family and close friends) and in the patient’s exchange network (ie, patient-provider relationship, Internet support). The goal of this review is to identify relational targets associated with self-care behaviors that are potentially modifiable within the diabetes medical care setting. Evidence-based suggestions are made for points of intervention entry, and areas for future research are explored.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, 1100 Bates Street, 77030, Houston, TX, USA

    Barbara J. Anderson PhD

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  1. Barbara J. Anderson PhD
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Anderson, B.J. Diabetes self-care: Lessons from research on the family and broader contexts. Curr Diab Rep 3, 134–140 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-003-0037-6

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