"The Relationship between Body Size, Risk Perception for Developing Type 2 Diabetes and the Likeluhood of Lifestyle Behavior Change among African American Women", Brenda Owusu, DNP. PI

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body size, risk perception for developing type 2 diabetes and the likelihood of lifestyle behaviour change among African American women (AAW).


In a descriptive correlational design, a convenience sample of 150 non-diabetic AAW 20 years or older participated in this study. The results of this study indicated that body size correlated significantly with risk perception for developing type 2 diabetes and likelihood of lifestyle behavior change. Perception of risk for developing type 2 diabetes and likelihood of lifestyle behaviour change was different for each perceived body size category. Participants who perceived themselves as obese had higher perceived risk perception for developing diabetes and indicated they were more likely to engage in lifestyle behavior change to reduce the risk for diabetes. By affirming the connection between body size, risk perception for developing diabetes and lifestyle behavior change, this study implies that understanding perceptions about body size and diabetes risk may provide a point of intervention to help AAW modify their behavior to reduce their risk for being overweight, obese and for developing diabetes. Findings have been published in the UPNAAI Nursing Journal.