Food Habits and the Family and Cultural Restrains in the Druze Population Influence the Diabetes Management in the Female Population

Objective: This study analysed the narrative of the family structure, the status of Druze-women, and the ability of those women to adapt to diabetes and manage it successfully. Design and setting: Qualitative-research, of the Druze women with Diabetes, Diabetes prevalence in the Arab population in Israel is around 20%, whereas the prevalence of diabetes in the general population in Israel approximates 7.2%. Subjects: 15 Druze-women suffering from type 2 diabetes, aged 30-70, with varying personal and sociodemographic characteristics, who were hospitalized in the "Ziv-hospital-Safed", as well as in the community, were interview. Results: Most of the respondents described the family structure and the Druze-society, the relationships and the communication within the family as obstacles that prevent them from managing their diabetes successfully. A small number of them indicated that the family might constitute a support factor. The obstacles impeding the women’s ability to maintain a healthy diet and to engage in physical activity, the woman’s role in the family, selfefficacy, perception of the dangers involved, culture and religion, relationships and lack of direct communication with their significant other. Conclusions: Druze-women, suffering from diabetes, managing her diabetes are subject to the influence of her role and status within the family, her self-restraint, her position in the decision-making process, the influence of the culture and society upon her life, her perception of the disease, as well as the influence of the religion. Therefore, there is a need for empowering the Druze-women which would in turn enable them to manage their diabetes better.