Diabetes, Type 2, and the Family

Type 2 diabetes, also called adult-onset, late-onset, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic health condition in which one's body does not adequately make or use insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels. A current problem linked to the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes nationwide is diabetes self-management. Risk factors linked with obesity and sedentary lifestyles are a growing problem for today's families. Diabetes self-management involves a lifelong, complex care regimen, and treatment decisions are challenged by self-care abilities. Although diabetes self-management is largely the responsibility of the person with the disease, it is continuously influenced by routines and behaviors of others in the family household and the larger community context.

The challenges presented in living with diabetes for many years of life are enormous for the ...