Funding for this research was provided by:
The Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
The Swedish Foundation for Healthcare Sciences and Allergy Research
The Council for Health and Healthcare Research Lund/Malmö
The Swedish Diabetes Association
The Research Profile AMER (Arbetsmarknad, Migration och Etniska Relationer (Labour market, Migration, and Ethnic Relations)), Växjö University
Article History
Received: 1 February 2017
Accepted: 16 January 2018
First Online: 5 February 2018
Authors’ information
: Katarina Hjelm, is a professor in Nursing Science. She is a diabetes specialist nurse and nurse tutor with a PhD in Community Medicine. Her dissertation concerned migration, health and diabetes and led to two main areas of research; 1) Chronic disease management, particularly diabetes mellitus (including gestational diabetes) and chronic leg ulcers, and 2) Migration and health. International comparative studies have been implemented and thus, international health is a third area of research. She has a particular interest in studying the influence on health-related behaviour of beliefs about health and illness in migrants of different origin. One important area within diabetes care is focusing on management of women, particularly migrants, with gestational diabetes.Karin Bard, is a lecturer in Nursing Science with a background as a general nurse and has a master’s degree in nursing and psychology. She has a particular interest in matters of communication between health professionals and patients. She has been collaborating for several years with PHjelm and Associate Professor Apelvist in studies concerning migration, health and diabetes and has particularly been involved in studies of women with gestational diabetes and in analysing qualitative data from interview studies, both individually and in focus-groups, and has vast experience of beliefs about health, illness and healthcare in migrants.Jan Apelqvist is a senior consultant and associate professor at the Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital of Malmö, and the Division for Clinical Sciences, University of Lund, coordinating a multidisciplinary foot care centre (national centre of excellence) for prevention/treatment of the diabetic foot. He has vast experience of clinical work, clinical research, leadership and teaching (senior lecturer) on management and prevention of diabetes related complications, and particularly of the lower extremity, and wound management as well as management of diabetes mellitus. He is past president of EWMA (European Wound Management Association), member of steering group of IWGDF (International Working Group for the Diabetic Foot) and board member of AAWC. He frequently acts as advisor in working groupos and consensus groups on a national and international level. He has also been involved for several years in research concerning management of migrants with diabetes mellitus, including gestational diabetes.
: The study was carried out in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, with written informed consent, and had been approved by the Ethics Committee of Lund University. During the interviews, the interviewer was observant of signs of distress in the respondents, who could, if judged necessary, be referred for counselling to a social worker or psychologist, but no problems were identified.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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