Exploring the Perceptions of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Wmong Mexican-American Women With Type II Diabetes

Purpose: Latinos are twice as likely than non-Latinos to have diabetes and two out of three people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke. The prevalence of a cardiovascular disease (CVD) related death among adults with diabetes is two to four times higher than those without diabetes. However, there is little known about the perceptions of CVD risk among Mexican-American women with type II diabetes. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of diabetes and CVD risk among Mexican-American women living with type II diabetes.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive method was used to conduct this study. A convenience sample of six Mexican-American women with diabetes type II were recruited from a Midwest suburban church. Participants completed a one-time semi-structured interview. Demographic information was collected and level of acculturation was measured. Spanish transcripts were transcribed via a committee approach and were analyzed for overall themes based on participants’ responses.

Results: Two major themes emerged related to their perceptions of living with type II diabetes; difficulty in controlling diabetes and impact on daily living. An interesting theme that was constantly mentioned was emotions. All six participants reported they are at risk for a CVD, but only four reported ways to reduce their risk for a CVD. Only four participants reported diabetes type II as a risk factor for CVD. Participants lacked knowledge about CVD risk factors and symptoms of heart attack and stroke.

Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that more education is needed about diabetes type II, CVD risk factors, symptoms of a heart attack, and stroke. Mexican-American women with type II diabetes are at greater risk for CVD complications and it is vital for healthcare providers to better understand the populations’ perceptions of their diabetes and perceptions of risk for CVD to help formulate interventions that target educating diabetics about their risk for CVD.