A Health Education Program for an Underserved, Diabetic Population in Order to Improve Health Knowledge—A Feasibility Study

Background: With the increasing prevalence of diabetes around the world and with projections for a continued rise in the near future, it has become important to strategize methods of prevention and management for this common, chronic condition. According to recent studies, by delving beyond standard disease state management, new intervention techniques may be developed to help improve self-management of diabetes. Hypothesis: Participation in a multi-week nutrition and health education program will increase scores on a knowledge-based health assessment and will potentially lower individual diabetic measurements. Methods: The hypothesis will be examined by utilizing an initial questionnaire to adapt the program to group-specific requests and then by focusing on developing basic health and nutrition knowledge through active engagement in discussions, hands-on activities, personal grocery assistance, and cooking demonstrations during weekly sessions. Upon completion of the program, participants can anticipate knowledge gained in the following areas: shopping for nutritious and inexpensive foods, how to read nutrition labels, how to prepare healthy meals on a budget, how to make nutritious recipe substitutions, and simple lifestyle modifications. Ultimately, individual patient progress, in regard to knowledge gained, will be evaluated through an assessment, which will be distributed at the beginning and end of the multi-week course. The results for each patient will be compared, and any improvement or decline will be identified and addressed. Specific, statistical analysis will be performed, and clinical significance will be measured utilizing descriptive statistics and t-tests. Significance: By achieving the goal of this study, participants will be able to use their newfound understanding to make educated decisions, which should lead to increased safety and a better quality of life