Date of Conferral

8-17-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

Jirina Foltysova

Abstract

African American women experience a disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes, and limited evidence exists regarding the relationship between diabetes knowledge and self-care behaviors, particularly among African American female veterans. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between diabetes knowledge and diabetes self-care among African American women with Type 2 diabetes, including a subsample of African American female veterans, and to evaluate whether the COVID-19 pandemic (2017–2019 vs. 2021–2023) moderated this relationship. Additional variables included age, marital status, physical health, and mental health. Guided by the social-ecological model, de-identified data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed (N = 4,046; veteran subsample, n = 110) using hierarchical binary logistic regression and multiple linear regression. Results indicated that diabetes knowledge was not a significant predictor of self-care across analyses (p = .646, p = .863, and p = .324). In contrast, age (B = -0.093, p < .001), marital status (B = 0.287, p < .001), physical health (B = 1.797, p < .001), and mental health (B = 1.294, p < .001) were significant predictors of self-care among African American women with Type 2 diabetes. The interaction between diabetes knowledge and COVID-19 was not significant (p = .088), indicating no moderation of self-care. Overall, age, marital status, physical health, and mental health were more strongly associated with self-care than diabetes knowledge. Implications for positive social change include reducing diabetes-related disparities through culturally responsive interventions tailored to the needs of African American women with Type 2 diabetes.

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