Sustaining a Creative Community-Based Diabetes Education Program

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the community-based diabetes education project was to evaluate participants’ knowledge and use of healthy cooking practices as they relate to controlling diabetes. In addition, an attempt was made to ascertain whether participants’ self-reported blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C changed as a result of the educational intervention.

Methods

Extension agents were trained statewide on principles of diabetes self-management education (DSME) and nutrition concepts for the programs Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes (DWBW) and Cooking Well with Diabetes (CWWD). Upon returning to their respective counties, trained extension agents established health coalitions for program delivery. In 86 counties, online data were collected on perceived knowledge and behaviors related to healthy cooking practice and were assessed before the start of the program (pretest; time 1), after the third lesson (posttest; time 2), and again after the fourth and final lesson (time 3).

Results

Most participants trained in DWBW joined cooking classes so the group already had some knowledge of food preparation techniques and had adopted many of the recommended practices, yet the program still had impact. Findings suggest an improvement in participants’ knowledge and self-reported behaviors.

Conclusions

The CWWD program provided a short-term impact of knowledge gain, and the adoption of healthy cooking practices was observed among program participants. A pattern of healthy eating should lead to a reduction of blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C. The relatively short time between pretest and posttest was not sufficient to realize and measure such reductions.