Abstract
Problem Identification
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a lifestyle-related chronic disease. One in ten U.S. adults do not know they have T2D. Latinos are disproportionately impacted by T2D and rates of T2D show no sign of abating. Left unaddressed, T2D rates among Latinos will continue rising and lead to the development of other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. Imperial County, CA ranks worst in the state for diabetes prevalence and has a significant Latino and Spanish-speaking population.
Problem Analysis
Several factors at the individual, interpersonal, and community level are associated with T2D risk among Latino adults residing in Imperial County, CA. The most salient among these are dietary fiber (DF) consumption, physical activity, and food security. Knowledge of the benefits of T2D prevention, social support from friends and family, and short-term goal setting are promising factors to address in a diabetes prevention program.
Intervention Proposal
Juntos T2 is a Spanish diabetes prevention program aimed at decreasing T2D risk among Latinos by increasing dietary fiber (DF) intake, physical activity, and the number of food access points in the community. The intervention targets individual, interpersonal, and community level determinants associated with T2D. The primary objective of the intervention is to lower participants’ T2D risk by decreasing their hemoglobin A1c by at least one percent.
Implementation and Evaluation
Program staff, including a health educator and a community liaison, will deliver a modified group-based diabetes prevention program consisting of 16 educational sessions and a food distribution program. Pre and post intervention results, including lab tests and self-administered survey tools, will be used to assess program effectiveness.