Experiences of Kurdish immigrants with the management of type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study from Norway

Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of immigrant Kurdish patients in Oslo, Norway, related to the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Design: A qualitative study with focus group interviews.

Setting: Participants were recruited at meeting places in Oslo through Kurdish networks.

Subjects: Eighteen Kurdish immigrants (9 females and 9 males) living in Oslo, aged 40 to 64 years, diagnosed with T2DM participated in a total of five focus groups. Participants had to be proficient in the Norwegian language to be eligible.

Main outcome measures: Immigrant Kurdish patients’ experiences with being diagnosed with T2DM, their disease management, and need for medical information.

Results: Participants stressed that living with T2DM was emotionally challenging, mainly because they were afraid of possible complications of the disease. They claimed to adhere satisfactorily to their medicines and blood glucose measurements. The majority of participants shared that they had made changes to their diet, even though it was difficult. To the contrary, physical activity received only minimal attention. The participants’ main source of information was general practitioners and the majority of them were satisfied with the information that they had received about their disease and its management.

Conclusion: Kurdish T2DM patients in the present study from Norway reported that they adhered to the medical treatment, even if they were stressed about living with the disease. However, they were more occupied with changing their diet than to be physically active. Therefore, healthcare personnel should try to be aware of lifestyle challenges among their patients.

KEY POINTS

• Eighteen Kurdish patients in Oslo with Type 2 diabetes claimed to be adherent to medication treatment and blood glucose measurement.

• The participants shared that they had made changes to their diet, even though it was hard.

• There was generally little attention given to the need for physical activity in their daily lives.

• The participants were in need of more information and support in making healthy lifestyle changes.

Keywords:

• Diabetes
• management
• adherence
• lifestyle
• immigrants
• Norway

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the café owners and imams who gave us permission to recruit participants at their premises. We also thank all interviewees for participating in the study.

Ethical considerations

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by The Norwegian Center for Research Data. Approval from The Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics was not required. The participants provided informed written consent prior to participation in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Pharma Use group, Department of Social Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo.