Improving Diabetes Education in Mexican American Older Adults

Abstract

Lack of culturally sensitive, age-specific diabetes education in Mexican American older aged people may contribute to deficits in diabetes knowledge, self-management, and glycemic control. This quality improvement initiative applied evidence-based, culturally competent, age-specific education to improve health outcomes. A one-group, pretest/posttest design guided this project in a primary care community clinic. Mexican American adults >60 years, with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; N = 12) received 3 months of biweekly innovative classes including: healthy Mexican foods; family involvement; Spanish interpreter using simultaneous earphone technology; and interactive, bilingual, large-print materials. Paired sample t tests compared diabetes knowledge, self-management, and A1C levels. There was a significant improvement in preeducation and posteducation outcomes: knowledge, t(11) = −7.969, p = .000; d = 2.32, self-management, t(11) = −7.930, p = .000; d = 2.43, and A1C levels, t(11) = 6.434, p = .000; d = 0.78. Culturally competent, language-friendly innovation, age-specific T2DM education can positively impact knowledge, self-management behaviors, and glycemic values in older aged Mexican American people.