245143 Effect of a bilingual interactive diabetes education program on diabetes self-management knowledge, adherence and glycemic control among Hispanic patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial

Monday, October 31, 2011

Luis Rustveld, PhD, RD, LD , Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Maria L. Jibaja-Weiss, EdD , Department of Family & Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Carol Mansyur, PhD , School of Community & Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
BACKGROUND: Hispanics exhibit worse glycemic control, compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the US.The objectives of the study were to determine the effects of an interactive culturally tailored, computer-based diabetes education program on diabetes self-management knowledge, adherence and glycemic control in Hispanic patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A total of 200 adult Hispanic men and women (aged 52.8 ± 10.1 years) with T2DM (mean HbA1c 9.5 ± 1.96) participated in a randomized controlled trial. Intervention patients (N=100) viewed a Diabetes Interactive Telenovela (DIT) in English or Spanish about diabetes management (diet, exercise, and medication). They were also given a DVD version to take home. Usual care patients (N=100) attended diabetes education classes. Diabetes self-care management and HbA1c data were obtained at baseline and at 3 months post-randomization. RESULTS: Compared to usual care, intervention patients exhibited significant mean improvement in diabetes management knowledge (-0.74 ± 0.14; -0.36 ± 0.13, p = 0.04, respectively), and diet adherence approached significance(-0.56 ± 0.11;-0.28 ± 0.09, p = 0.06). Further improvement in diabetes management knowledge was observed with additional home viewing of the DIT (mean, -0.93 ± 0.17, p = 0.03). A larger proportion of intervention patients showed improvement in HbA1c compared to usual care (70.8% vs. 36.4%, p=0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that this culturally and linguistically appropriate diabetes education program helped increase diabetes management knowledge and diet adherence among Hispanic patients with T2DM. However, longer HbA1c follow-up is needed to determine long term effectiveness of the DIT on glycemic control.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the components of the interactive diabetes management program. 2. Assess the effectiveness of an interactive diabetes management program for improving glycemic control among Hispanic patients with Type 2 Diabetes 3. List at least two possible reasons why the interactive diabetes management program improved adherence to diabetes self-care behaviors among Hispanic patients.

Keywords: Diabetes, Patient Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a public health professional whose focus of research is diabetes management and adherence in multi-ethnic populations. I'm also a practicing Registered Dietitian who is involved daily in the management of patients with diabetes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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: Diabetes Prevention and Control : Education in Populations Experiencing Disparities
See more of: Public Health Education and Health Promotion