Impact of community‐based diabetes education programs

The objective of this project was to analyze the impact of two phases of a community‐based diabetes education program. The goals of the two three‐lesson programs were to educate those with diabetes on meal preparation (MP) or choosing meals when eating out (EO). Classes were taught in a community setting by Extension Educators with impact measured by pre/post‐test analysis. The programs and evaluation tools had been revised based on previous assessments of needs and impact. For MP (n=43), most participants had diabetes themselves (65%), most were white (79%), female (76%) participants whose mean age was 66 ± 11. There was a statistically significant (p≤0.05) improvement in knowledge concerning foods that effect blood glucose and the serving size of vegetables. Most already knew that diabetes was a risk factor for heart disease and how to read a label for healthy food choices. Participants were not able to correctly identify food groups high in carbohydrate or the correct serving sizes of fruit. For EO (n=140) there was a significant improvement (p<0.05) knowing that carbohydrates had the greatest impact on blood glucose, serving sizes of starches and meat, information about polyols and label claims. These results show that participants improve knowledge and self‐efficacy after program participation. Areas to emphasize in the program include carbohydrate‐containing food identification and using meal plans when eating out.