Diabetes Education and Wellness through Faith-based Organizations in Texas
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abstract
Texas is the fifth-leading state in diabetes prevalence. Roughly 10% of the Texas adult population has been diagnosed with diabetes, compared with 8.2% of the total US population. Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring behavior modification and lifestyle changes to manage the disease. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are organizations or programs associated with a religious congregation. Some FBOs have had success partnering with health promotion programs to provide preventative health services to at-risk populations with chronic diseases (e.g., HIV). FBOs have regular access to a captive adult audience of patients and volunteers, and they typically have strong community credibility; therefore, they have the opportunity to emphasize the type of behavior modifications necessary to successfully manage a disease such as diabetes.This project aims to build a network of researchers, diabetes educators, clinicians, patients, and FBOs interested in comparing the experiences of patient populations who receive information about diabetes education from FBOs, with those patient populations receiving the same information from traditional sources. We will engage FBOs from different religious backgrounds (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) and diabetes care facilities of varying size (small and large clinics and hospitals) with diverse patient demographics (income, race, etc.). Additionally, we will seek a diverse geographic membership (urban and rural) in Texas. As membership grows, we will establish an e-communication network to connect community members and form a leadership structure to facilitate discussions about using FBOs for diabetes education and wellness.
