Changing the Behavior of the Caribbean Immigrants in Toronto

Changing the Behavior of the Caribbean Immigrants in Toronto

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Canadian diabetes health education program in changing the behavior of Caribbean immigrants in Toronto with Type 2 diabetes using the health belief model. There is limited information in the literature about this topic. Previous studies conducted on the Caribbean population's Type 2 diabetics did not include sufficient educational information to meet the needs of the Caribbean people to decrease further health complications. This quasiexperimental study built upon existing research that suggested there is an overwhelming desire for culturally- sensitive diabetes self-management education. The sample consisted of 128 adults between the ages of 35 to 60 years with a history of Type 2 diabetes in the Scarborough community in Toronto. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups by recruitment number to assess the effect of education using a pretest and posttest design. Data were analyzed via t tests, which showed significant differences between the intervention and control groups. The implications for social change included practitioners working with the Caribbean immigrant population for the reduction of total national health care expenditures through improved diabetes health care education, particularly in handling culturally-specific cases. Providing culturally-tailored education to the diabetic Type 2 population will not only decrease acute and chronic complications but will also promote a better quality of life, self-care, knowledge, and understanding of the disease process.