Evaluating a community health center's diabetes project: A strategy to reduce health disparities

Abstract

Diabetes poses a serious health problem in the African American community who experience significantly higher rates of diabetes and diabetes complications when compared to Caucasians. The current study evaluated a Diabetes Project implemented by a local community health care center. The goal of the evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the Diabetes Project in lowering clinical outcomes. There were 216 participants – 143 African Americans, 55 Caucasians, and 18 Other. Twenty one (9.3%) had Type 1 diabetes, and 195 (90.3%) had Type 2 diabetes. The HbA1c, blood pressure (BP - systolic and diastolic), LDL cholesterol, and body weight was measured at baseline and at the last visit. The results showed that three of the five pairwise comparisons were significant – HbA1c, and BP (systolic and diastolic). There were also significant within-in group differences for females and males.