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The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of providing a diabetes patient education and group-support intervention that was directed by a Mexican-American clinical nurse specialist (CNS), dietitian, and community worker; consistent with national standards; and designed for the Mexican-American culture. In a rural Texas-Mexico border community, subjects with diabetes were randomly selected to participate in the intervention, and a family member of each subject participated as a support person. The intervention involved 8 weeks of educational sessions with instruction on nutrition, blood glucose self-monitoring, exercise, and other diabetes self-management topics, and provided group support. Group discussion was facilitated using a series of Spanish-language videotapes that had been developed and previously tested in the target Mexican-American community. Results suggested statistically significant improvements in diabetes knowledge, fasting blood sugar levels, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. The study documented the feasibility and potential benefits of the intervention.
Brown et al. (Thu,) studied this question.