Demographic Analysis of African Americans Enrolled in a Community-based Diabetes Prevention Program

Grade Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

Health Sciences

Minor

Health Care Administration

Institution

Western Kentucky University

KY House District #

2

KY Senate District #

32

Department

Dept. of Cancer Health Equity

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is preventable. While all racial and ethnic groups are susceptible to the condition, African Americans (AAs) are among the groups with the highest T2D prevalence (13.3%:9.4 %) among their white counterparts. Lifestyle interventions, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) effectively decrease incident diabetes by 58%. Moreover, evidence indicates that culturally adapted health interventions enhance subject participation and increase adherence to lifestyle programs. The purpose of this project is to examine the baseline demographics of AA participants of Fit & Faithful, a culturally adapted DPP. Fit & Faithful concentrates on the prominent religious aspect of AA culture, using 20 community sites, primarily churches, to recruit 500 high-risk AA adults. Participants attend 18 group-based sessions via Zoom delivered by community health workers. Additionally, non-responders or participants who do not lose or maintain weight loss within the first four weeks of the intervention. A descriptive analysis was performed on the baseline data from the first cohort of enrollees (N = 58). Results indicate the majority of participants were female (86%), morbidly obese (58.5%), and middle-aged (52%). Most of them also worked full-time (62%), had some form of private insurance (71%), achieved a level of higher education (84%), and either made between $25,000-$49,999 for yearly income (28%) and chose not to answer (22%). Preliminary findings indicate that the church setting helped achieve high levels of retention and session attendance indicates that the program resonated with the participants. These findings add to the sparse literature on T2D prevention by emphasizing the need for health disparities amongst ethnic groups in Kentucky and demonstrating how collaboration from members of the community and academics diversifies methods to combat health disparities. Drawbacks include the lack of male, young adult, and low socioeconomic participants.

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Demographic Analysis of African Americans Enrolled in a Community-based Diabetes Prevention Program

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is preventable. While all racial and ethnic groups are susceptible to the condition, African Americans (AAs) are among the groups with the highest T2D prevalence (13.3%:9.4 %) among their white counterparts. Lifestyle interventions, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) effectively decrease incident diabetes by 58%. Moreover, evidence indicates that culturally adapted health interventions enhance subject participation and increase adherence to lifestyle programs. The purpose of this project is to examine the baseline demographics of AA participants of Fit & Faithful, a culturally adapted DPP. Fit & Faithful concentrates on the prominent religious aspect of AA culture, using 20 community sites, primarily churches, to recruit 500 high-risk AA adults. Participants attend 18 group-based sessions via Zoom delivered by community health workers. Additionally, non-responders or participants who do not lose or maintain weight loss within the first four weeks of the intervention. A descriptive analysis was performed on the baseline data from the first cohort of enrollees (N = 58). Results indicate the majority of participants were female (86%), morbidly obese (58.5%), and middle-aged (52%). Most of them also worked full-time (62%), had some form of private insurance (71%), achieved a level of higher education (84%), and either made between $25,000-$49,999 for yearly income (28%) and chose not to answer (22%). Preliminary findings indicate that the church setting helped achieve high levels of retention and session attendance indicates that the program resonated with the participants. These findings add to the sparse literature on T2D prevention by emphasizing the need for health disparities amongst ethnic groups in Kentucky and demonstrating how collaboration from members of the community and academics diversifies methods to combat health disparities. Drawbacks include the lack of male, young adult, and low socioeconomic participants.