Cuban Americans (CAs) and Type 2 Diabetes: An Integrative Review of the Literature.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in Hispanics but few studies have been done to differentiate diabetes effects in Hispanic subgroups, such as Cuban Americans. The purpose of this review was to characterize the studies conducted on Cuban Americans with type 2 diabetes with the aim of updating knowledge related to physiologic factors, psychologic factors, and diabetes selfmanagement. An extensive literature search located 18 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Previous studies provided consistent evidence demonstrating the influence of lifestyle, metabolic, and psychosocial risk factors that lead to poorer outcomes for CAs. No intervention studies were found examining the effect of treatment and education on diabetes control. Future research is needed to determine how these factors associated with diabetes can be used in lowering risks and improving health outcomes for Cuban Americans.