Title : Overcoming barriers between food insecurity and diabetes management among African descent adults: A systematic review
Abstract:
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and the management of type 2 Diabetes as well as understand the prevalence of food insecurity in African descent adults with type 2 diabetes. Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for original papers in English. The risk for biases was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for quantitative studies and COReQ for qualitative studies. Three reviewers assessed and synthesized results independently before reaching a consensus. One hundred ninety-eight studies were identified, and 14 met inclusion criteria and were included in data extraction and analysis. Food insecure individuals were found to have poorer diabetes management and higher rates of complications such as neuropathy and poor quality of life. Black or African-descent individuals were found more likely to be food insecure when compared to White participants. Black or African-descent participants were also more likely to be diabetic or have diabetes risk factors. Black or African descent study participants reported having a limited understanding of diabetes, limited resources to improve their health, or both. These findings demonstrate the importance of addressing psychosocial barriers, such as lack of access to nutritious foods, alongside diabetes self-management. This review's original goal was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and the management of type 2 diabetes in African Caribbean adults. Due to a lack of studies explicitly examining African Caribbean populations, the search was expanded to include studies identifying African American and Black participants. This review highlights not only a lack of African Caribbean representation in diabetes research but also a lack of effective diabetes education being delivered to African-decent adults.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Food insecurity increases poor diabetes self-management and increases the likelihood of diabetes complications in African descent adults. Clinicians should routinely screen and provide resources for food insecurity to improve diabetes self-management.
- Diabetes education for African descent adults is limited, clinicians should evaluate for potential knowledge gaps to improve diabetes self-management.
- There is a lack of African Caribbean representation in diabetes research. Researchers should include ethnicities of African-descent adults in data collection to aid in population-specific disparities.
