Hispanic Families’ Action Plans for a Healthier Lifestyle for Diabetes Management:

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to conduct focus groups with Hispanic patients with type 2 diabetes and their family members who participated in a culturally tailored, family-based diabetes intervention about their action plans for a healthier lifestyle.MethodsFive separate focus groups were led in Spanish by an experienced bicultural/bilingual moderator. The audiotaped sessions occurred at the end of the 8-week diabetes educational program. Data were transcribed in Spanish and translated into English. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the findings.ResultsEighty-four Hispanic adults participated with an equal representation of patients with diabetes and family members. Most persons were female (63.1%) and the majority of persons were born in Mexico. The mean (SD) age of participants was 44.2 (14.3) years. Six themes emerged from the data: healthier eating habits, increasing physical activity, taking care of my sugar, coping with emotions, for the family, and empowerment and increased s...