Date of Conferral

7-3-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Education and Promotion

Advisor

Dr. Nina Bell

Abstract

African immigrants represent one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States; yet, their health outcomes related to Type II diabetes remain understudied compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Grounded in the theoretical framework of the Health Belief Model, the purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to examine the relationship between dietary behavior changes and the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes among African immigrants aged 20–80 residing in the United States. The research questions examined the association between getting meals prepared away from home and awareness of MyPlate nutritional guidelines, recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the diagnosis of Type II diabetes among African immigrants within this age group. Data sets from the 2017–2020 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, comprising a final analytic sample of 852 participants, were utilized. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that getting meals prepared outside the home was not a statistically significant predictor of diabetes diagnosis (OR = 0.921, 95% CI: 0.644–1.318, p = 0.652). However, a lack of awareness of the MyPlate guidelines was significantly associated with an increased odds of Type II diabetes diagnosis (OR = 0.562, 95% CI: 0.368–0.859, p = 0.008). These results suggest that knowledge and use of culturally appropriate dietary guidelines and health education interventions may improve dietary health literacy and serve as a protective factor in managing or preventing Type II diabetes among African immigrant populations in the United States.

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