Problem Solving and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Management in Diabetic Blacks

BACKGROUND: African Americans with type 2 diabetes carry a high burden of CVD risk and adverse vascular events such as stroke and peripheral vascular disease. CVD risk factors of suboptimal blood pressure, lipids, and glycemic control are controllable through medical management and lifestyle behavior modification. The traditional primary care medical management model for these chronic CVD risks is inadequate, and models are shifting toward increased disease-related decision-making and self-management on the part of the patient. Yet, precise methods for: 1) identifying patients with ineffective disease-related problem-solving skills, and 2) providing patients with disease-related education that incorporates problem-solving and decision-making skills, have yet to be determined DESIGN NARRATIVE: The study will test a measurement tool and a novel training intervention for problem solving as applied to self-management of high CVD risk in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The specific aims are to: 1) assess the validity and reliability of an empirically derived assessment tool of effective versus ineffective CVD risk-related problem-solving ability (the Health Problem Solving Scale, HPSS), 2) develop a novel intervention to teach CVD risk-related problem-solving skills to ineffective problem solvers, and 3) conduct a pilot study with a sample of African Americans with type 2 diabetes who have a high CVD risk profile (suboptimal blood pressure, lipids, and/or HbA1c) AND ineffective CVD risk-related problem-solving skills, as measured by the HPSS. The principal investigator is the recipient of a Research Scientist Development Award. Her career goal is to become an independent researcher in self-management of CVD risk in high-risk African American populations, and to be a leader in the development and translation into practice of novel, theory-driven and empirically based interventions to improve patient self-management of CVD risks.