Box 1.

SAMPLE QUOTATIONS ON THE PERCEIVED CAUSALITY, TREATMENT, AND CURABILITY/CHRONICITY OF DIABETES

Code	Theme	Sample Quote
Causes of Diabetes	Emotion	“I blame it on anger. I was fine, normal, and then I got very angry. There were the words that hurt me [during a conflict at a meeting]. I left at once but I started to get dizzy. My face felt flushed… I imagined it was because I got angry. It provoked all my problems, I thought. But the doctor told me that it was very likely that I had already been diabetic without realizing it.”
		“I realized that one of my children was drinking a lot, like his dad. People had told me that before, but I did not believe it, so I went to see him, and he was drinking so much. I hit him, and the next day I became very swollen. I went to the hospital and they told me that I have diabetes.”
		“One day I was so happy looking at some of my animals, as I like animals. Then I got such an ugly thirst. That was 5 years ago.”
	Diet	“I have eaten [a lot of] cake. I drank Pepsi Cola for many years, ice cream, a lot of soda, a lot of carbonated drinks while at work.”
	Inheritance	“Well the truth is I do not know, but perhaps by inheritance I think… maybe my dad gave me this disease.”
Treatment	Medications	“I am taking my medicines every day, I only forget once in a while. I have various checks and sometimes my sugar goes down a tiny bit, 140, 195. That’s where it has been. So, I send my sheet [of sugars] to the doctor. And he says … keep taking the medicines. I go to the pharmacy to buy them. I don’t bring a prescription.”
	Herbal Remedies and Commercialized Naturopathic Products	“When I found out I was diabetic, I starting using tamarind with water, and something else from the woods called chalcupa … Other diabetics told me these things were good.”
		“I had kidney pain, and I went to a naturopath. They gave me a treatment to clean the kidneys, and another for diabetes, another to control the pressure, another for fat. I took four naturopathic vials, but yes, I took naturopathic medicine.”
	Diet	“My daughters help me and are trying to give me food that is better for diabetics.”
		“The best treatment is to eat healthy food.”
		“I got rid of all sodas, cakes, juices, everything that will raise my sugar. Sometimes it’s hard. Just a tiny glass of a drink seems so little, but that’s the most I ever have.”
	Exercise	“One day I went to the doctor, and when he did the exams, [he said], ‘What happened?… Your sugars are normal!’… It was all the walking [I was doing]. I was running or walking blocks every day at that time.”
Chronicity and Cure	Maintenance over Cure	“Yes, you can live well, but you have to take care of yourself.”
		“We can control ourselves with our own will. There are many ways to eat healthy. Everything is good, but only [in moderation].”
	Role of God/Religion	“[There is no cure], but only God can heal you. I have seen this myself. In the hospital they told me I was going to die because I had dry kidneys, but I am still here bugging people. They were going to cut off my leg [below the knee] because I had a hole in my foot, it was purple and black. I asked God to heal me. When I went to the hospital, they asked me, ‘What did you take?’ I said, ‘Nothing, I just prayed to God. But he hasn’t finished curing me.’“
		“Well, they say there is no cure, but I have faith in Christ that everything can be done, so God is the only one who can and I trust him.”

Note:

ID = Identification