AADE recommends aiming diabetes treatment to patients' individual needs

The American Association of Diabetes Educators states that tailoring diabetes treatment to the patient’s individual needs and lifestyle is the key to diabetes self-management, according to a press release from the association.

“Individualizing care increases the likelihood that any patients will have success in his or her self-care plan,” Joan Bardsley, MBA, RN, CDE, FAADE, president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), said in the release. “Addressing cultural influences is an important factor in that individualization. Familiarity with the patient’s cultural background is a good place to start.”

The AADE recommends that physicians encourage patients to participate in physical activity rather than just exercise as well as incorporating a healthy lifestyle rather than just dieting.

“In some cultures, weight loss can have negative implications,” according to the release. “Mexican Americans, for example, consider a full figure representative of good health and weight loss a sign of disease. Instead of telling you patients to lose weight, ask them to list their goals. Explain how being healthy will lower their blood glucose levels, which in turn will help them achieve those goals, whether it’s keeping up with the grandchildren or avoiding the complications of diabetes they’ve seen in relatives.”

The AADE also recommends that patients continue to eat familiar foods.

“Patients with diabetes are much more likely to follow a healthy diet if it includes familiar foods. … Other tweaks include adapting favorite foods to make them healthier, such as baking instead of frying chicken or using dried beans, which are lower in sodium than canned beans,” according to the release.

Recruiting the family and working with others in groups is also recommended for diabetes self-management.