| The purpose of this study was to examine the role of ethnicity, age and gender in those individuals who already have microvascular complications and evaluate perceptions of outpatient diabetic care through utilization of the health belief model (HBM) as the theoretical framework and the use of the Health Belief Model Diabetes Scale (HBMDS). Inadequate adherence to diabetic care in the outpatient setting leads to diabetic microvascular complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. African Americans have the highest incidence of microvascular complications, which is indicative of poor outpatient management and lack of follow up care. Numerous studies have addressed ethnic disparities and outpatient management, but few studies have evaluated a population with diabetes-related microvascular complications and perceptions of diabetic care in the outpatient clinics. The HBMDS questionnaire was employed for the evaluation of perceptions of care based on the HBM constructs of susceptibility, barriers, perceived severity and benefits. This was a cross sectional, quantitative study utilizing 55 participants with microvascular complications. Multiple regression and descriptive statistics were used for data analyses. Results indicated that there was no statistical significance relating ethnicity or gender to the HBM constructs; however, there was a statistical significance between age and the HBM construct of susceptibility. The study contributes to social change through increasing the understanding of individual cues to follow up care and providing a basis for more studies aimed towards designing and implementing interventions that focus on strategies to help individuals with microvascular complications improve their health outcomes. |
