Perceptions of Renal Disease Risk Among African Americans: A Review of the Literature

African Americans are disproportionately at risk for renal disease, especially those with type 2 diabetes (McDonough et al., 2011). Despite this disease disparity, the literature lacks research on renal disease awareness and risk perceptions among African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, a literature review guided by the Common Sense Model was conducted to review and synthesize the literature on African Americans’ awareness of renal disease and existing risk perceptions, capturing sociocultural factors in the African American community that could influence the development of those risk perceptions. The literature identified an overall lack of knowledge about renal disease risk factors, inaccurate risk perceptions, and a low concern for renal disease among African Americans. Numerous sociocultural factors were identified that could be influential to African Americans’ renal disease awareness and risk perceptions, and these can be used to guide future care and policy.