Researcher(s): Latoya Bartholomew
Masters Public Health
18% of Barbadian population has diabetes mellitus, with Type 2 representing 90% of all diabetes cases in the island (Barbados government Information Service, 2015). Intrinsic to helping an individual with or those at risk of developing T2Dm is the need for behaviour change. As persons with diabetes attempt to effectively address and manage their illness however, they will require a stable and supportive social network. A supportive social network has been increasingly recognized as having an integral role in enhancing health outcomes for persons with a wide range of conditions (Bambina, 2007; belanger et al., 2016; Cattell, 2001; Sarasohn-Khan, 2008). In particular, researchers have argued that (1) it has buffer effect, in which instance persons are provided with copying resources which act as a buffer against psychosocial distress and (2) there is a direct correlation between social support and well-being (Bambina, 2007).