Abstract
Intuitive eating programs that improve self-efficacy and dietary habits could enhance
glycemic control in African-American women with type 2 diabetes. The goal of our study
was to investigate how current eating practices and beliefs of African-American women
living with diabetes aligned with intuitive eating concepts. African-American women
with type 2 diabetes referred for diabetes education class during 2009-2012 were recruited
for a qualitative study using focus groups for data collection. Verbatim group transcriptions
were analyzed by two independent reviewers for themes using a combined inductive-deductive
approach. Participants (n=35) had an average age 52±9 years, mean body mass index
39±7, and mean time with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis of 10±10 years. Participants'
self-reported dietary practices were poorly aligned with intuitive eating concepts.
The women reported a lack of self-control with food and regularly eating in the absence
of hunger, yet stated that the determinant factor for when to stop eating was to recognize
a feeling of fullness. Participants reported knowing they were full when they felt
physically uncomfortable or actually became sick. Women frequently cited the belief
that individuals with diabetes have to follow a different diet than that recommended
for the general public. Many women also discussed diabetes-related stigma from family/friends,
and often did not tell others about their diabetes diagnosis. These findings demonstrate
that intuitive eating techniques are not currently applied by the women in this sample.
Future studies should assess the influence of intuitive eating interventions on dietary
habits among low-income African-American women with type 2 diabetes.
Keywords
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Biography
A. L. Willig is an assistant professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Biography
B. S. Richardson is a medical student, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Biography
A. Agne is a research coordinator, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Biography
A. Cherrington is an assistant professor, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 01, 2014
Accepted:
January 30,
2014
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This project was funded by the American Diabetes Association (no. 191605) and grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the University of Alabama Birmingham Diabetes Research and Training (grant no. P60DK079626), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (grant no. K12HS019465). Amanda Willig received financial support from a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (grant no. 5T32AI52069-08SI) and the UAB-VA Health Services Research/Comparative Effectiveness Research Training Program. The funders had no input into the design and conduct of the study, or analysis and reporting of the data.
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© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
