Understanding Diabetes Care Barriers Through Community Voices: A Brief Qualitative Report from Jefferson County, Kentucky

Md Rakibul Hasan

doi:10.62377/tber4w45

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Published: 01-08-2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62377/tber4w45

Keywords:

Type 2 Diabetes, Community-Based Research, Healthcare Access, Health Inequities, Qualitative Report

Dr. Md Rakibul Hasan

Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Student, University of Louisville, School of Public Health, United States

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9152-8753

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a significant public health concern in Jefferson County, Kentucky, exacerbated by socioeconomic barriers influencing care access and disease management. This qualitative study explored community-perceived barriers impacting diabetes self-management among local adults.

Methods: Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, this qualitative study involved thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke’s method) of open-ended responses collected through an online questionnaire from six purposively selected adults (≥18 years) with physician-diagnosed type 2 diabetes in Jefferson County.

Results: Participants described several structural barriers affecting their diabetes care, primarily highlighting medication affordability (83%), transportation difficulties (67%), and inadequate access to healthy food (67%). Additional qualitative themes revealed concerns related to insufficient flexibility of healthcare services and personal time constraints. Participants further suggested community-informed strategies, including subsidized medication programs, enhanced transportation services, increased availability of virtual healthcare, and improved local access to affordable fitness facilities and nutritious foods.

Conclusion: Qualitative insights underscore a substantial gap between diabetes care intentions and achievable self-management practices due to persistent systemic barriers. Addressing these barriers through targeted, community-driven solutions could meaningfully improve diabetes outcomes in Jefferson County

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Brief Report

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Dr. Md Rakibul Hasan, Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Student, University of Louisville, School of Public Health, United States

Dr. Md Rakibul Hasan; MBBS, MPH (Cambridge, UK), Diploma in Neuroscience (UK), MCGP (BD), CCT in Emergency Medicine (University of Glasgow, Scotland), PGT in Healthcare (NHS London);

Dr. Hasan is a medical practitioner and public health researcher, based in United States. He is currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant (Kentucky Biomedical Research, NIH) and Doctoral Student in the Dept. of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, United States. He has attended several health conferences, like Kentucky Biomedical Society conference (ARC25), WHO conference, Academic conference on geriatric health and medicine in the University of Cambridge, England, conferences on mental health issues and occupational health hazards held in Bangladesh and so on.

Besides, he is working as an Assistant Editor of Journal of Current and Advanced Medical Research, Bangladesh and Peer-reviewer in Frontiers Public Health. He was a Former Healthcare Practitioner (HCP) in Cambridge University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, England, UK.

Moreover, he has vigorous teaching experience. He was as a Senior Teaching Assistant in Cambridge Regional College, England. He was an Ex-MSc Student in Global Health, University of Ghent, Belgium and Former Medical Practitioner (Internal Medicine), Dhaka , Bangladesh. His research interests lie in promotion of mental health issues, prevention of communicable and infectious diseases, prevention of social and health disparities, diabetes and cancer research.His aim to bridge the gap between clinical practice and public health to ensure outstanding health services among the under-served communities.

How to Cite

Understanding Diabetes Care Barriers Through Community Voices: A Brief Qualitative Report from Jefferson County, Kentucky. (2025). Asian Journal of Public Health and Nursing, 2(2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.62377/tber4w45