Name
Poster 83 - Ties That Nourish: How Social Connectedness and Food Literacy Relate to Dietary Behaviors in Type 2 Diabetes
Date & Time
Friday, October 9, 2026, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location Name
Grand Foyer (4th Floor)
Description

Diabetes self-management education typically centers on nutrition knowledge, treating dietary adherence as an individual, knowledge-driven task. This study tested whether social connectedness independently predicts dietary behaviors in 422 adults with Type 2 diabetes, beyond what food literacy alone explains. Results showed that social connectedness, more consistently than nutrition knowledge, predicted both healthier eating behaviors and fewer dietary problems. These findings give Medical Family Therapists and integrated care teams empirical grounding for incorporating relational and psychosocial support, not just nutrition education, into diabetes dietary self-management.

Speakers
Wang Wenjin, LMFT
Tags
Patient-centered care or Patient perspectives, Research and evaluation, Self-care/Self-management
Session Type
Poster
Describe how subjective social connectedness is associated with dietary self-management in adults with Type 2 diabetes, independently of food literacy.
Identify the differential pattern linking food literacy and social connectedness to dietary outcomes.
Discuss clinical implications of these findings for integrated care, including the value of assessing felt connection (not just whether support exists) and considering food literacy and social-connectedness support as parallel targets in T2D dietary self-management.

Holt‐Lunstad, J. (2024). Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications. World Psychiatry, 23(3), 312-332.

Christiansen, J., Lund, R., Qualter, P., Andersen, C. M., Pedersen, S. S., & Lasgaard, M. (2021). Loneliness, social isolation, and chronic disease outcomes. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(3), 203-215. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa044

Brewster, A. L., Rodriguez, H. P., Murray, G. F., Lewis, V. A., Schifferdecker, K. E., & Fisher, E. S. (2025). Trends in screening for social risk in US physician practices. JAMA network open, 8(1), e2453117-e2453117.