Meanings and interpretations of key themes
| Themes | Meanings and interpretations |
|---|---|
| Cultural factors | |
| High regard for authority | ▸ View physicians as authoritative figures, like fathers ▸ Reluctant to confront physicians |
| A desire to avoid being burdensome to others | ▸ Feel health professionals and family members have made significant efforts to offer help, services and support to patients with diabetes ▸ Do not expect doctors or nurses to organise patient support groups ▸ Feel dietary restrictions should not be mentioned to avoid others from being influenced |
| A desire to be together or follow a collective approach | ▸ Prefer learning as a group about diabetes care ▸ Enjoy sharing experiences with peers |
| Structural barriers | |
| Insurance makes a difference | ▸ Feel unable to manage diabetes properly due to lack of insurance and extremely high cost of care ▸ Do not have access to health talks due to disconnection from health insurance networks |
| Transportation issues | ▸ Consider transportation as a challenge, and this restricts the access of health information ▸ Affect willingness and ability to attend health talks |
| Limited information in the Chinese-speaking community | ▸ Acknowledge limitations due to poor English proficiency, continue to access health information in Chinese ▸ Consider translations to be not help much if cultural practices have not been addressed |
| Personal barriers | |
| Unawareness of self-care responsibility | ▸ Do not think patients should take up responsibilities in chronic illness management ▸ Follow physician prescriptions with no knowledge of medications being taken |
| Age related limitations | ▸ Admit limitations due to age related changes ▸ Acknowledge short attention span in reading or attending health talks |