Development and Evaluation of a Diabetes Photonovella - Diabetes – More Than a Little Sugar

A Community Advisory Group (CAG) of diabetics and health providers developed a Diabetes Photonovella– Diabetes – More than a Little Sugar - geared to the African-American Medicare population. Focused discussions with the CAG identified the predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors related to diabetes management. CAG members participated in developing the Photonovella based on the information gathered during the above discussion groups. They developed the story script and characters, identified “actors” for the novella, photographed the actors/scenes using a digital camera, and assembled the photo-novella. The CAG reviewed the draft and suggested modifications as needed. The final draft, written at a 5th grade level, was pre-tested in the target communities. The efficacy of the Photonovella was assessed by comparing the Photonovella to standard diabetes educational material in a randomized mailing to 1000 diabetics from a large urban Family Practice.

Patients receiving the Photonovella were more likely to rate the importance of foot exams, weight control and exercise to the management of diabetes and its complications higher than were those who received the “other materials”. They were also more likely to be able to correctly identify the complications of diabetes. The group receiving the Photonovella were more likely to make comments about the material being easy to read, easy to relate to and that it was informative. They also commented positively about the layout and directness of the Photonovella. Low literacy photonovels can be effectively used in primary care settings.