Culturally competent diabetic education to lower hemoglobin A1c levels of diabetic patients: Está mejor.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a modified diabetic education class in lowering the hemoglobin Alc (HbA1c) levels of diabetic patients. Modifications included having bilingual educators facilitate the class, providing food models common to Mexican-American diets, and supplying education materials in Spanish. We reviewed the charts of 100 diabetic patients who had been scheduled to attend the diabetic class in a community health center. A significant difference (P=.001) was found between the baseline and follow-up levels of HbA1 c in patients who attended the class (who showed a mean difference of 1.81 mm/dL) compared with those who did not (who showed a mean difference of only 0.63 mm/dL, which was not statistically significant). No significant difference (P>.05) was found in the baseline HbA1c levels of those who attended the class (8.33 mm/dL) compared with those who did not attend (8.8 mm/dL). This study showed that the modified class was effective in lowering the HbA1c of diabetic patients. The diabetic class was underused, with only 54% attendance. Through this study, we suggest that health care providers should implement strategies by actively reaching out and tailoring education to the needs of their patients.