African Americans with a family history of diabetes were more aware of diabetes risk factors and more likely to engage in certain health behaviors than were African Americans without a family history of the disease.

Spirituality and its relationship to mental health outcomes (self-concept and coping style), familial attitudes (family climate and attitudes toward parenting), and satisfaction with social support was examined among African American women in recovery from substance abuse. Using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale as a measure of spirituality, the median split method was used to divide a sample of 146 African American women in recovery from substance abuse into high and low spirituality groups. It was found that women in the high spirituality group expressed a more positive self-concept, active coping style, perceptions of family climate, and attitudes toward parenting than women in the low spirituality group. In addition, the high spirituality group expressed greater satisfaction with their

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Diabetes is a common and costly disease. In 2007, an estimated 24 million people in the United States had diabetes, with almost half of these being women. Diabetes increases the risk of morbidity and mortality from several conditions, including cardiovascular disease, several types of cancers, influenza and pneumococcal infection, and kidney, eye, and periodontal diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of care that women with diabetes receive and to assess how receipt of some clinical preventive services and screening for common conditions associated with diabetes vary according to socioeconomic factors. Our findings indicate that use of diabetes-specific preventive care among women is low, with the youngest women (< or =45 years) and those with low educational levels being the least likely to receive the recommended services. Women with diabetes were less likely than women without diabetes to receive a Pap smear, with the oldest women (> or =65 years) being the most vulnerable. Women with diabetes who were poor and nonwhite were less likely than more affluent and white women to receive a pneumococcal vaccination. This study's findings suggest that having a chronic disease may serve as a barrier to the receipt of recommended preventive care among women. Effective interventions should be designed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable women with diabetes, in particular, those who are at the extremes of the life cycle, are poor, and have low levels of education. Programs should use a life stage approach to address the unique needs of women with diabetes.

Objective. To identify characteristics and behaviors among persons with arthritis through evaluation of self-perceived mental health status. Methods. Data were analyzed for adults with arthritis age 45 years or older from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing, state-based, random-digit-dialed telephone survey of noninstitutionalized adults living in the United States. Results. The prevalence of frequent mental distress (FMD; >14 self-reported mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days) among persons with arthritis was 13.4%. Among persons with arthritis, those with FMD as compared with those without FMD were more likely to be underweight and obese than normal weight; they also were more likely to be insufficiently active or inactive than following recommended physical activity guidelines. In addition, those with arthritis and FMD were more likely to report disability and impaired physical and general health than were those with arthritis but without FMD. Conclusion. Physicians should encourage their patients with arthritis and mental distress to participate in educational and behavioral interventions shown to have both physical and psychological benefits.