Effective couple communication alters diabetes care, health outcomes
Would you have guessed that couple communication plays a critical role with managing type 2 diabetes? According to a research study conducted by academics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), good communication between two partners improves self-diabetes management, which improves overall health outcomes.
The study was published in PLOS Global Public Health – the medical journal that seeks to address deeply entrenched global inequities in public health and makes impactful research visible and accessible to health professionals, policy makers and local communities without barriers. The study also forms part of ongoing work carried out by UCT’s Chronic Diseases Initiative for Africa (CDIA) to develop and evaluate the Diabetes Together intervention. This intervention was developed in collaboration with Professor Nuala McGrath and a team of researchers at the University of Southhampton in the United Kingdom. It was designed not just to support people living with diabetes, but also their partners, and to recognise the crucial role they play in managing the condition.