Abstract

Diabetes has been an increasing public health concern. Clinical trials from Community Diabetes Education led by community healthcare workers have been a cost-effective way of reducing diabetes complications in Mexican Americans. Culturally tailored diabetes education showed marked improvement in HbA1c levels, blood pressure, lipid levels, and BMI. Based on 2013 data, Madera County has a diabetes prevalence of 7.7 per 100 population, which is higher compared to the national prevalence of 6.2 per 100 population. To address this community, a six-week support group curriculum for enrollees of the California Children Services (CCS) at Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) was developed. The six sessions include: 1) diabetes overview, 2) diabetes management, 3) nutrition, 4) exercise, 5) forum discussion, and 6) setting personal goals. The goal of this project is to improve diabetes health outcomes and hypothesized that at least 75% of participants will improve their confidence in managing their diabetes after completing one session. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and delays with patient data, the project was postponed from being implemented at Madera County and was piloted with California Health Sciences University (CHSU) student, staff, and faculty for feedback and efficacy. Based on survey results, ≥ 95% participants found the sessions informative, easy to understand, and relevant to those with and without diabetes. There was improved confidence ≥75% in all aspects except one objective: how to interpret glucose results. We identified confidence gaps in three key areas from session 2 and 4, which will be revised. Next step for the project is to translate the material to Spanish and fully implement the six-week curriculum at MCDPH.