Native American locus of understanding cultural issues related to diabetes management through use of grounded theory

Native Americans in the United States are a population that experiences diabetes at much higher rates than any other racial group. Health disparities in this population are well documented, but existing standardized data do not include information related to a Native American experience regarding diabetes. There is a significant gap in the literature to describe Native American experiences, beliefs and understanding of the cause of diabetes, which limit culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs. This study examines the experiences of Native Americans (over 18 years of age) with diabetes in an effort to understand and describe cultural experiences and beliefs in their Native language or colloquialisms, to explain their experience, beliefs and understanding of the cause of diabetes. The overall aims of the study are to: understand the historical and current-day experiences of Native Americans with diabetes, elicit coping strategies used by Native Americans with diabetes, elicit decision-making strategies used by Native Americans with diabetes, describe changes to daily activities as a result of diabetes, describe how the participants understand the symptoms, causes and reasons for diabetes, understand how individual experiences relate to community dimensions of capacity, describe long-term effects of marginalization and understand the potential to use French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu's, theory of social relations in the Native American population, provide relevant insight to diabetes prevention for Native Americans based on the study findings and to provide relevant insight to diabetes interventions for Native Americans based on the study findings.