Teaching Prediabetes Management to African American Females in Primary Care

Abstract

Prediabetes, a precursor to Type II Diabetes, continues to be a growing national concern, including rural communities within the “Bible Belt” area of southeastern United States. With the combination of higher prevalence of obesity, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, limited resources and poor perception about disease risk among ethnic/minority females, these populations have become more vulnerable to increased disease onset and complications. No specific prediabetes risk model was utilized in a federally qualified health center located in a metropolitan south-western North Carolina County. Cultural norms and perceptions about weight and body size image has been an influencing factor for health perception. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as the foundation to assess minority perception related to prediabetes and lifestyle change related to dietary intake. This quality improvement project investigated whether perception about diabetes and diet affected participation in prevention programs among minority populations. Prediabetes educational classes were held with a total number of 29 participants. Two surveys were completed in this project. The Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants Survey (REAPS) pre-education with 79% (n=23) noted often eating unhealthy portions and poor selections. The Risk Perception Survey-Diabetes Development (RPS-DD) completed pre-education (n=20, 69% strongly agree); post-education (n=27, 93% strongly disagree) reported personal control to diabetes prevention. All 29 participants completed the CDC Prediabetes Screening test where 59% (n=17) scored ≥9 for high risk of prediabetes.