Subjective assessment to an educational tool used for the Arabic population with diabetes in Australia

ABSTRACT

Despite a rapid growth of Type 2 diabetes in Arab Australians, the management of diabetes in this population is yet understudied. The first aim of this study is to participants' views about taking medicines regularly, knowledge and feelings about diabetes, sources of medicines information, and special needs of being from an Arabic speaking background. The second aim is to explore participants' feedback about the use of the Diabetes Conversation Map as an educational tool in Arabic. Focus groups were conducted in Arabic-speaking Australians with Type 2 diabetes who were asked about their knowledge and self-care skills of diabetes as well as experience of living with the disease. Common themes emerged from the focus groups included knowledge, state of mind, and needs of the Arabic speaking population. The findings provide valuable information for research in this area by designing interventions that would be translated to clinical practice