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Dara Brown, senior community health coordinator, and Sylvia Flint, project coordinator, of the Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center’s (BLEC) Diabetes Intervention Program (DIP) for Families, presented their research findings at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing Research and Scholarship Day. Their research titled “Impacting Diabetes Education: Bringing the Clinician to the People,” highlighted the program’s success in reaching and educating African American and Hispanic populations diagnosed with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes.
DIP, one of BLEC’s outstanding programs geared toward addressing a disturbing health issue, is a social support diabetes education program that uses culturally relevant curricula prioritizing African American and Hispanic/Latino adults diagnosed with prediabetes/diabetes residing in metropolitan Columbia.
“We want to thank the University of South Carolina College of Nursing for the opportunity to share the results of this significant research by two devoted and accomplished individuals who are members of our staff,” said Dr. Cindye
Richburg Cotton, BLEC executive director. “The implications from their research must be taken seriously.”
Based on the knowledge that community-clinical collaboration is a public health priority, the objectives of the research were to recognize the health disparity rates of prediabetes and diabetes in South Carolina, to define the community health worker and guest lecturer model, and to describe the potential impacts of community-clinical collaborations.
Their research supports the position taken by the Institute of Medicines, which has concluded that “enhanced collaboration among health care, and community non-health care sectors could produce better prevention and treatment outcomes for people living with chronic diseases.”
“Our research clearly showed that it has value to encourage clinicians to collaborate with community-based organizations and provide persons with prediabetes/diabetes all-encompassing education linked with community services and support,” Brown said.
The data from the research indicate bringing clinicians and Community Health Workers
(CHWs) together in a community-based program shows statistically significant favorable results such as improved collective efficacy and knowledge, reduced sugar-sweetened beverages consumption and body weight. As a result, the participants’ mean body weights at baseline were 193.6 compared to 188.2 at post assessment.
Flint added that “clinicians who partner with communitybased diabetes education programs help provide empowering education that positively impacts program participants.”
The researchers explained that the CHWs and clinical guest speakers facilitated twenty sessions. CHWs engage participants regularly outside of classes checking on goal progress, social determinant needs, and to offer overall support. They made assessments prior to the first session and two weeks prior to the final session. A commonly used statistical tool known as a t-test showed the difference from baseline to post-assessment.
For more information about this research or DIP for Families, please contact Mrs. Sylvia Flint, project coordinator, at 803-744-1971 or by email at sflint@brookland.cc
