Education to Improve Health for Rural Africa American Women with Diabetes

Diabetes (DM) is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Minorities like Hispanics and African Americans (AA) are at greater risk of developing DM. The prevalence and outcomes affecting diabetes are attributed to socioeconomic status, sex differences, ethnic, cultural, and religious status. Diabetes-related mortality is a major health problem in AA in rural America. The focus for this project was to identify the best evidence regarding educational counseling on lifestyle modifications that positively impact adult AA women with diabetes living in Rural America. The social-ecological theory and health belief model informed this project because these models incorporate behavior change and the social determinates of health affecting this population. The PRISMA checklist was used to identify the articles for inclusion for the systematic review. Keywords, including diabetes, rural America, AA women, disparities, self-management, and education, were used to conduct the literature search. Ten articles were identified for analysis in this project. The key recommendations from the ten articles include the importance of diabetes self-management education, increased physical activity, regular monitoring of blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C, and regular diabetic foot checks. These self-management behaviors and primary prevention strategies can reduce the mortality and morbidity rates associated with diabetes in AA women. This project will impact positive social change by providing recommendations for patient-centered, culturally appropriate education that will reduce diabetes complications and improve health outcomes for AA women with DM in rural communities