Una historia comica de una enfermedad seria-diabetes tipo II

Background: Immigrant Spanish-speaking diabetic patients attending a clinic were targeted in this public health project. Hispanics comprised 84% of patient visits from July 2005 to June 2006, of these 440 visits were exclusively for diabetes treatment/management. With the current U.S. policy these underserved clients have limited access to care although CDC findings indicate lack of English fluency and unfamiliarity with the U.S. healthcare system may increase risk of chronic disease in new immigrants. Hispanics have a 41% higher mortality rate due to diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Methods: The project created a humorous and culturally appropriate, Spanish-language video focusing on secondary and tertiary diabetes prevention. Assessment included interviews with the clinic director, healthcare providers, and clients. Based on these interviews, limited resources and illiteracy, video was the chosen teaching method. Spanish-speaking puppets and Latino music facilitated audience identification with the characters. The video intersperses puppet antics with nurse commentary to reinforce messages. Results: This video may be viewed during 2,500 patient visits annually. Open-ended responses are being solicited to evaluate video effectiveness in disseminating: signs/symptoms of diabetes, when to seek treatment, exercise benefits, and proper nutrition. Implications: Given current policies there is a mandate to address the Healthy People 2010 goal “to reduce the disease and economic burden of diabetes, and improve the quality of life for all persons who have or are at risk for diabetes,” not only the insured and English-speaking. One way of doing this is to assess and develop culturally appropriate interventions meaningful to the target population.