2026-09-18T19:15:14Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/130174 2026-02-10 col_2142_5131 col_2142_16278 com_2142_5130 com_2142_16277 com_2142_9614

application/pdf en text Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01 The student, Willencia Louis-Charles, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-11 at 14:44. The student, Willencia Louis-Charles, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-11 at 14:45. This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-21 at 14:19. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22521 on 2025-10-25 at 15:53:48 Perceptions of type 2 diabetes self-management among middle-aged adults Louis-Charles, Willencia 2025-07-21 Rogers, Wendy A. Hale, Timothy Type 2 Diabetes Middle-age Behavioral Health Socio-economic Status Educational Attainment eng Type 2 diabetes is a chronic illness that impacts people of all socioeconomic statuses and other background characteristics. Diabetes incidence increases with age, and older adults above the age of 65 years old are especially more vulnerable to diabetes-related complications. Middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes should implement self-management habits that prevent or delay these complications. Diabetes requires consistent and precise self-management that includes medication, diet, exercise, and blood sugar tracking. People with type 2 diabetes must be knowledgeable of their conditions, have adequate access to healthcare, integrate their diabetes within their identity, and cope with the distress that diabetes can bring. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of self-management among middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes. This study was split into two phases, with insights from Phase 1 informing the methods used in Phase 2. Phase 2 also limited recruitment of participants to those without a bachelor’s degree, given the impact that a social determinant of health, such as educational attainment, can have on diabetes. The results of both Phase 1 and Phase 2 revealed that quantitative methods are not enough to capture the complex experiences of managing type 2 diabetes. The qualitative interviews provided additional insights into the self-management behaviors of individuals with diabetes. The findings also provided insights about the importance of personalized diabetes education that considers the different variables that can impact diabetes self-management. 2025-08 Text https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130174 Copyright 2025 Willencia Louis-Charles Health and Kinesiology Community Health University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign M.S. Thesis