Commentary
Mexican-origin women suffer disproportionate rates of NAFLD. The purpose of this study by K. E. Morrill et al. (University of Arizona Cancer Center, USA) was to assess awareness, knowledge, perceptions, and information sources related to NAFLD in a community-based sample of Mexican-origin women. Qualitative findings revealed low awareness of risk factors for liver disease, NAFLD specifically. Quantitative and qualitative findings found information sources for NAFLD and liver disease to be predominantly friends, family, and media. Interviews revealed a misperception related to NAFLD risk that liver disease was only caused by high alcohol intake.
As pointed out by the authors, “these low levels of NAFLD awareness and knowledge warrant the need for greater efforts to educate the general population, perhaps by integrating NAFLD education into existing type 2 diabetes educational campaigns and prevention interventions.”
