Turning the Health Equity Lens to Diversity in Asian American Health Profiles.

The monolithic misrepresentation of Asian American (AsAm) populations has maintained assumptions that AsAm people are not burdened by health disparities and social and economic inequities. However, the story is more nuanced. We critically review AsAm health research to present knowledge of AsAm health profiles from the past two decades and present findings and opportunities across three topical domains: (a) general descriptive knowledge, (b) factors affecting health care uptake, and (c) effective interventions. Much of the literature emphasized underutilization of health care services; low knowledge and awareness among AsAms about health-related risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; inadequate efforts by health systems to improve language access, provider-patient communication, and trust; and the critical roles of community- and faith-based organizations and leaders in health promotion initiatives. Future opportunities for AsAm health research will require adoption of and significant investment in community-engaged research infrastructure to increase representation, funding, and research innovation for AsAm communities.

Barriers and Facilitators of Self-Management for Older Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Study in China.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore the barriers to and facilitators of self-management among older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This study followed a qualitative descriptive methodology. Older adults with T2DM living in Jinan, Shandong Province, China were recruited using purposive sampling. Information saturation was used to gauge the sample size. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 participants. The data analysis was guided using a thematic approach. Themes were inducted from the interview data undergirded by the cumulative complexity model. RESULTS: The key findings of this study are presented in terms of 2 themes: facilitators of T2DM self-management and barriers to T2DM self-management. Each theme has subthemes, including that having family members with diabetes, having family members who are health care professionals, and visual cues were factors for good self-management practices by older adults with T2DM. Conversely, poor health status (ie, multimorbidity and lower-limb dysfunction and pain) and intergenerational care responsibilities were identified as barriers to effective self-management. Moreover, the use of media resources, especially traditional media, was found to both assist and hinder participants in their self-management practices. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study can inform new research to build on existing self-management promotion programs and restructure existing services to improve the self-management of older adults with T2DM. With the increase in the number and types of media outlets, our finding implies that researchers or clinical practitioners may develop strategies to leverage media resources to enhance the self-management of diabetes among older adults with T2DM.