This meta-analysis examined relationships between social support and self-care in type 1 (T1DM) and 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We searched for published and unpublished studies using the following databases: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and Medline. MeSH search terms included “diabetes mellitus,” “social support,” “caregiver,” “self-care,” “self-management,” “self-care skills,” and “coping behavior.” Studies reporting correlations between social support and self-care were included. Initially, 2 095 studies were extracted. After eliminating duplicate and irrelevant studies, 28 studies involving 5 242 patients with diabetes were included. Of these, 22 studies examined T2DM subjects. Social support was significantly associated with self-care (k = 28, r = .28, 95% CI: .21-.34, P < .001). Among the diabetes self-care types, the strongest effect was found for glucose monitoring (k = 6, r = .21, 95% CI: .08-.33). The relationship between social support and self-care was stronger in T2DM (k = 22, r = .30, 95% CI: .22-.37), relative to T1DM, samples (k = 5, r = .22, 95% CI: .02-.38). It was concluded that the overall effect size for social support on self-care was moderate, and its strength differed by ethnic majority within the sample, type of social support measures, and publication status.

Objectives. To test a community health worker (CHW)-led health literacy intervention on mammogram and Papanicolaou test screening among Korean American women. Methods. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial at 23 ethnic churches in the Baltimore, Maryland–Washington, DC, metropolitan area between 2010 and 2014. Trained CHWs enrolled 560 women. The intervention group received an individually tailored cancer-screening brochure followed by CHW-led health literacy training and monthly telephone counseling with navigation assistance. Study outcomes included receipt of an age-appropriate cancer screening test, health literacy, cancer knowledge, and perceptions about cancer screening at 6 months. Results. The odds of having received a mammogram were 18.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.2, 37.4) times higher in the intervention than in the control group, adjusting for covariates. The odds of receiving a Papanicolaou test were 13.3 (95% CI = 7.9, 22.3) times higher; the odds of receiving both tests were 17.4 (95% CI = 7.5, 40.3) times higher. Intervention effects also included increases in health literacy and positive perceptions about cancer screening. Conclusions. A health literacy–focused CHW intervention successfully promoted cancer-screening behaviors and related cognitive and attitudinal outcomes in Korean American women.

Objective The purpose of this study was (1) to characterize the primary sources of social support and the extent of unmet needs for support (defined as the gap between social support needs and the receipt of social support) in a sample of Korean Americans (KAs) with type 2 diabetes and (2) to examine the effect of unmet needs for support on their self-care activities. Methods Baseline data obtained from a community-based intervention trial were used for this study of 83 middle-aged KAs with type 2 diabetes. Study design and data analysis were guided by social cognitive theory. The key variables were dictated the order of the variables in multivariate regression analysis. Results Our findings indicated that for diabetic KAs, the primary source of social support differed according to gender. Unmet needs for support were significantly associated with self-care activities, but the amount of support needs and of social support received were not. Multivariate analysis also confirmed that unmet needs for social support are a significant strong predictor of inadequate type 2 diabetes self-care activities, after controlling for other covariates. The hierarchical regression model explained about 30% of total variance in self-care activities. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of considering unmet needs for social support when addressing self-care activities in type 2 diabetes patients. Future interventions should focus on filling gaps in social support and tailoring approaches according to key determinants, such as gender or education level, to improve self-care activities in the context of type 2 diabetes care.