Diabetes symptoms, health literacy, and health care use in adult Latinos with diabetes risk factors

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the extent of undetected and untreated type 2 diabetes in a sample of recent Latino immigrants, and looked at the relationships among diabetes symptoms, blood glucose level, diabetes knowledge, health literacy level, and health care use.

Methods: Using a descriptive and correlational design, 144 Latino adults were interviewed.

Results: Many participants had diabetes and reported symptoms, but they were not aware of the disease and were not receiving adequate health care. Lack of diabetes knowledge, low health literacy, and barriers to health care prevented appropriate symptom responses.

Conclusions: Interventions that teach health literacy skills and diabetes symptom interpretation may improve health care use.