Provider and Patient Related Determinants ofDiabetes Self-Management Among Recent Immigrants in Toronto: Implications forSystemic Change


Hyman, I.; Patychuk, D.; Zaidi, Q.; Kljujic, D.; Shakya, Y.B.; Rummens, J.A.; Creatore, M.; Vissandjee, B. (2017)
Canadian Family Physician
63(2) | 137-144

Objective To examine provider- and patient-related factors associated with diabetes self-management among recent immigrants.

Design Demographic and experiential data were collected using an international survey instrument and adapted to the Canadian context. The final questionnaire was pretested and translated into 4 languages: Mandarin, Tamil, Bengali, and Urdu.

Setting Toronto, Ont.

Participants A total of 130 recent immigrants with a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus who had resided in Canada for 10 years or less.

Main outcome measures Diabetes self-management practices (based on a composite of 5 diabetes self-management practices, and participants achieved a score for each adopted practice); and the quality of the provider-patient interaction (measured with a 5-point Likert-type scale that consisted of questions addressing participants’ perceptions of discrimination and equitable care).

Results A total of 130 participants in this study were recent immigrants to Canada from 4 countries of origin—Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China. Two factors were significant in predicting diabetes self-management among recent immigrants: financial barriers, specifically, not having enough money to manage diabetes expenses (P = .0233), and the quality of the provider-patient relationship (P = .0016). Participants who did not have enough money to manage diabetes were 9% less likely to engage in self-management practices; and participants who rated the quality of their interactions with providers as poor were 16% less likely to engage in self-management practices.

Conclusion Financial barriers can undermine effective diabetes self-management among recent immigrants. Ensuring that patients feel comfortable and respected and that they are treated in culturally sensitive ways is also critical to good diabetes self-management.

Provider and Patient Related Determinants ofDiabetes Self-Management Among Recent Immigrants in Toronto: Implications forSystemic Change