Barriers to Diabetes Self-Management in Grenada During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

During the COVID-19 lockdown, several countries implemented restrictions that affected how persons with diabetes managed their condition. While several studies exploring diabetes self-management during the pandemic was conducted, none was done in Grenada or the Caribbean region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the barriers to diabetes self-management during the COVID-19 lockdown in Grenada. The study was a descriptive qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants with type 2 diabetes in Grenada over two months. Two overarching themes emerged, reflecting external and internal barriers to diabetes self-management activities. The results indicated that these personal and environmental barriers significantly affected adherence across the five self-management behaviors. The findings may be used to develop a multidisciplinary approach to improve self-management skills and attitudes and promote appropriate diabetes disaster planning for a future pandemic. Addressing those barriers to diabetes self-management will improve health outcomes and quality of life.