Beating Diabetes is a Family Affair

Filed in archive Diet , Family Matters , Lifestyle , Research on May 17, 2007

Imagine going on a diet but living with a bunch of food-lovers, I mean like a family or roommates who really love eating. I've always been in that situation (living with roommates and now with family), not that I've dieted, but imagine if I would, what are the chances that I'll stick to that diet for long? See, until now I am still postponing when to start THE diet.

But that's beside the point of this blog entry.

Now, imagine being a diabetes patient. It takes a lot of will power (from the patient's point of view) to change into the necessary lifestyle: diabetes friendly-diet, exercise, etc. Family and extended family support would really help, especially if you don't live alone. On the other hand, I imagine a worse case scenario if the diabetes patient lives alone.

That's exactly what Charlotte Paddison (recently graduated with her PhD in psychology at Massey University in New Zealand) has looked into. She investigated type-2 diabetes patients from a psychological perspective and found that beating diabetes with one's family and whanau (Maori word for extended family) can help keep people with diabetes well.

"This study showed that having a supportive family is linked to better self-care behaviour and better physiological control of diabetes.

Traditionally, clinical care has often focused very much on individuals but this study shows that family and whanau have an important role in helping people with diabetes make healthy choices.

This should encourage clinicians to recognise the role family relationships play and to consider ways to promote positive family involvement in diabetes care."

Very well said and makes a lot of sense.

Are you a diabetes patient or is there a diabetic in your family? How is your family helping (or not helping) the diabetic family member care for his/her condition?

Read the full report.