Experience of Culturally-Tailored Diabetes Interventions for Ethnic Minorities: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Abstract

This qualitative systematic review synthesizes recent qualitative studies of culturally tailored interventions to better understand the experiences that individuals who are members of ethnic minorities have when undergoing type 2 diabetes treatment in the United States. Such interventions have been shown to be effective among ethnic minority populations; however, no qualitative synthesis has reported on recent findings from studies of these interventions. This systematic review identified seven relevant qualitative studies from five electronic databases—CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Science—published from 2009 to 2019, and used a thematic synthesis review methodology. Methodological rigor was assessed for an appraisal of study quality. Five themes were identified as experiences of culturally tailored diabetes interventions: culturally appropriate healthy lifestyle behaviors, knowledge about diabetes care, emotional supports, access to the healthcare system, and family involvement. The findings of this review can be utilized as resources for improving diabetes care for ethnic minorities.