In this Section |
186996 Community mobilization strategies for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes: Lessons learned from the Bronx Health REACH 2010 ProjectWednesday, October 29, 2008: 9:15 AM
Racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes persist among African Americans/Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos. Efforts for effectively eliminating such disparities necessitates moving beyond individual risk-reduction strategies to population-based approaches that address broader social and environmental conditions. This includes engaging communities most affected to be key actors in improving such conditions. A qualitative case study was conducted of the Bronx Health REACH 2010 Project to examine community-mobilizing strategies employed to address poor nutrition among African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos residing in South Bronx, New York neighborhoods. Transcripts from semi-structured focus groups (n=4) and in-depth interviews (n=9) were analyzed and encoded through a qualitative software program (HyperResearch) to generate themes. Participants identified several mobilization strategies for improving access to healthy foods within school- and faith-based sectors including: coalition building; participation of community and spiritual leaders; trainings among community members and partners; and advocacy efforts. Lessons learned and recommendations for galvanizing a spectrum of community partners and members in order to achieve greater impact on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes are offered. Community mobilization strategies can empower community members to take control of their lives and catalyze community capacity-building that will ultimately ensure sustainability and eliminate disparities.
Learning Objectives: Keywords: Community Participation, Health Disparities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted data collection and analysis for this qualitative study. I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.
See more of: Health Education Strategies in Diabetes Prevention
See more of: Public Health Education and Health Promotion |