Building a Virtual Environment for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support

The authors developed an immersive diabetes community to provide diabetes self-management education and support for adults with type 2 diabetes. In this article the authors describe the procedures used to develop this virtual environment (VE). Second Life Impacts Diabetes Education & Self-Management (SLIDES), the VE for our diabetes community was built in Second Life. Social Cognitive Theory, behavioral principles and key aspects of virtual environments related to usability were applied in the development in this VE. Collaboration between researchers, clinicians and information technology (IT) specialists occurred throughout the development process. An interactive community was successfully built and utilized to provide diabetes self-management education and support. VEs for health applications may be innovative and enticing, yet it must be kept in mind that there are substantial effort, expertise, and usability factors that must be considered in the development of these environments for health care consumers.

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Social-cognitive predictors of physical activity initiation in type 2 diabetes following diabetes self-management education : application of the health action process approach.

10.18297/etd/126 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Jason Bonner

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Management Education ◽

Process Approach ◽

Self Management ◽

Health Action Process Approach ◽

Cognitive Predictors ◽

Health Action ◽

Action Process

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Characterizing a Sample of Chinese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Selected Health Outcomes

The Diabetes Educator ◽

10.1177/0145721718811561 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 105-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Meihua Ji ◽

Dianxu Ren ◽

Tiffany L. Gary-Webb ◽

Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob ◽

Judith A. Erlen

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Cognitive Theory ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

Self Management

Purpose The purpose of the study is to describe the characteristics and selected health outcomes of a sample of Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and to examine gender differences based on social cognitive theory. There is limited study in theory-driven research conducted in China and a lack of evidence in collectively examining the associated factors among Chinese patients with T2DM based on a theory, especially among those living in a suburban area. Methods Following a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 207 patients (50.2% women; mean age, 56.1 years) with T2DM from an outpatient clinic in a suburban area of Beijing, China. Participants completed a survey, and clinical values were retrieved from the patients’ medical records. Results Of the participants, more than half had suboptimal glycemic control; only a small proportion had recommended levels in performing self-management behaviors. A large proportion had metabolic syndrome and were overweight or obese. Compared with men, women demonstrated poorer health literacy and problem solving, received less social support, and presented with more depressive symptoms. Conclusion Glycemic control and self-management were suboptimal in this sample, and a large proportion of the sample was at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Gender differences exist regarding health literacy, depressive symptoms, problem solving, and social support. Social cognitive theory may provide a lens for addressing factors that are important in improving health outcomes among Chinese patients with T2DM. This evidence will help health care providers to identify pertinent factors through a multifactorial approach, therefore providing tailored care for Chinese patients with T2DM.

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