|
|
|
|
|
Susan M Farner, PhD, Vivianna Abuchar, MSW, and Elena Rhoads, BS. Community Health Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 120 Huff Hall, 1206 S Fourth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, 217-333-6876, smfarner@yahoo.com
The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate a program that addresses healthy eating habits in the Hispanic population. The program targeted the Spanish speaking adult population with or without diabetes. Diabetes is a serious and increasing problem in the U.S. population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are currently about 17 million people or 6.2% of the population with a diagnosis of diabetes. Since Hispanics are disproportionately affected by diabetes, it is important to create targeted education programs to address this problem. This exploratory study involved forty participants and was conducted as part of an ongoing series of nutrition education programs. The content of the session included basic nutrition information, food preparation with affordable and culturally appropriate ingredients, portion sizes, and general information about diabetes prevention and control. A pre and post-test of knowledge was administered at the sessions. The problem of illiteracy was part of the pilot project in developing testing that can accommodate this population. The use of pictures and verbal presentation of the testing was used to address this problem. After the two-hour session, the change in average knowledge about healthy eating habits for the prevention and/or control of diabetes was evaluated.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Diabetes, Food and Nutrition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.