En balance: The effects of Spanish diabetes education on exercise changes and diabetes control

Background. Diabetes poses a major public health issue. Nationally more than 23 million people have diabetes. Hispanics in this country exhibit higher prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes and diabetes related complications compared with the general population. To date, few studies on diabetes interventions in Hispanics have been published. This study focuses on a culturally sensitive diabetes education program designed to improve glucose control.;Objectives. The study was a secondary data analysis using baseline and 3-month post-intervention follow-up data from a culturally specific diabetes education trial for Spanish-speaking Hispanics with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We explored whether changes in physical activity took place among study participants and whether physical activity correlated with changes in fasting blood samples, anthropometric measures, and body composition.;Methods. Thirty nine subjects (16 men & 23 women), ranging from 20 -- 75 years of age, participated in a 4 week educational intervention that targeted improving diabetes knowledge, nutrition competency at improving participant's engagement in physical activity. Hispanic subjects were recruited from San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Arizona Activity Frequency Questionnaire (AAFQ) from the University of Arizona, Tucson was used to obtain information related to changes in physical activity. Baseline and three months blood samples were analyzed for changes in fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and serum lipids, anthropometric measures were used to assess changes in weight, height, BMI, and waist and hip circumference, and body composition as measured by Fan Bean Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using Hologic Discovery A software version 12.6 was used to assess changes in trunk fat, total fat, and bone density.;Implications. This study showed that culturally sensitive diabetes education led to significant improvements in moderate and high intensity physical activity energy expenditure in this population of Hispanics with diabetes. The study also showed that participants who increased physical activity energy expenditure ≥300 kcals gained better blood glucose control than those who did not, and participants who made greater reductions in dietary cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat gained more favorable changes in blood lipid measurements.