Sex and Race/Ethnicity Differences in Following Dietary and Exercise Recommendations for U.S. Representative Sample of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

This study examined sex by race/ethnicity differences in medical advice received for diet and exercise with corresponding health behaviors of a U.S. representative sample of adults with type 2 diabetes (N = 1,269). Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 2011-2014 for 185 Mexican Americans, 123 Other Hispanics, 392 non-Hispanic Blacks, 140 non-Hispanic Asians, and 429 non-Hispanic Whites were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. Reporting being given dietary and exercise advice was positively associated with reporting following the behavior. There were differences in sex and sex by race/ethnicity for reporting receiving medical advice and performing the advised health behavior. These results suggest the importance of physicians having patient-centered communication skills and cultural competency when discussing diabetes management.