Effects of a diabetes education intervention on diabetes-related factors among Mexican-origin Hispanics

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess diabetes-related factors, such as diabetes knowledge, positive attitudes towards the prevention of diabetes and its complications, self-efficacy for diabetes, dietary intake and level of food security, and to investigate the effects of a diabetes education intervention (DEI) on diabetes-related factors among Mexican-origin Hispanics with or without diabetes in Lubbock, Texas (USA), and Piedras Negras, Coahuila (Mexico). Methods: A one-sample pre–post design was used to evaluate the effect of a 4-week DEI designed using the Nutrition Education DESIGN Procedure, Mexican cultural features and Spanish language. Results: Participants from Piedras Negras, Coahuila had higher rates of food insecurity and a higher consumption of whole grains than those from Lubbock, Texas, while participants from Lubbock, Texas, had higher levels of diabetes knowledge and higher consumption of protein foods than those from Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Thirty-five participants from both locations started and completed the DEI. After the intervention, there was an increase in participants’ scores in diabetes knowledge, positive attitudes towards the prevention of diabetes and self-efficacy for diabetes, and a decrease in their intake of grains and fats. Participants in Piedras Negras, Coahuila had greater improvements in positive attitudes towards the diabetes score than those in Lubbock, Texas. Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that a DEI that integrates the use of the Nutrition Education DESIGN Procedure, Mexican cultural features and Spanish language is effective in improving diabetes-related factors and dietary intakes among Mexican-origin Hispanics in both the USA and Mexico.