Research Description
Many African American (AA) grandmothers provide care to grandchildren on a full-time basis in the absence of a parent. It is likely that 80% of these AA grandmothers are overweight or obese and may be at risk for developing diabetes or heart disease. This is concerning because a grandmother who becomes unable to care for a grandchild due to health problems may be forced to leave the grandchild in the care of an unreliable parent or place the child in foster care (either temporarily or permanently). This could have adverse effects on the well-being of children. Therefore, it is important to protect the health and wellbeing of these revered family members. DPP is a one-year program designed to help people develop a healthy lifestyle and decrease the risk of developing diabetes. While the program is effective, many people have difficulty sticking with a program that last for a year. Healthy Outcomes through Peer Educators (HOPE) is a peer support program designed to give AA grandmothers who are at risk for developing diabetes the encouragement they need to be successful in the DPP Program. Sixty AA grandmothers will be assigned to DPP or DPP + HOPE, where they will be paired with a peer educator who is also grandmother. HOPE will provide grandmothers with the practical support needed to work toward better health for themselves and their grandchildren.Research Profile
What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?Almost one third of African American (AA) grandmothers are caring for their grandchildren on a full-time basis. Many of these grandmothers are overweight or obese placing themselves at risk for diabetes. Grandmother caregivers influence their grandchildren’s eating behaviors by modeling their own eating behaviors, food preferences and physical activity. Therefore, inspiring AA grandmothers to serve as positive role models should help promote behavior change and healthy behaviors for themselves and their grandchildren. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a lifestyle change program that has been shown to decrease the risk of diabetes, through weight loss among all participants, including African Americans. This project proposes enhancing the DPP with a peer support program, Healthy Outcomes through Peer Educators (HOPE) where grandmothers serve as peers to other grandmothers. A few grandmothers will be trained to be ‘peer educators’ and will provide support for other grandmothers who enroll in a DPP program in their community. These peer educators will provide needed encouragement and positive reinforcement for their peers to help them learn successful sustainable health behaviors regarding diet and physical activity. This peer support program is designed to provide AA grandmothers with the practical and sustained support needed to work toward better health for themselves and their grandchildren.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?This peer support program will provide you with the support and guidance needed to work toward better health for yourself and your grandchild(ren). You will be assigned a peer educator who will call you every week to provide support and reinforce lessons learned during DPP sessions. You will also have an opportunity to meet with other women during the diabetes prevention program sessions who will share their own experiences with diet and physical activity and help you figure out how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Your peers can also help you identify key resources, such as where to buy healthy foods or safe and convenient locations for exercise.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?My experiences as an African American child from a working-class family in Chicago, Illinois influenced my commitment to helping underserved communities. I experienced first-hand how the conditions of where you live and work influence the quality of healthcare you receive. Many of my extended family and friends battled high blood pressure and diabetes. Quality healthcare was only available to those who could pay for health insurance, therefore government-provided primary care was the only option for many people. Many residents of my community with diabetes never received diabetes self-management and support. As a result, many of my family friends and neighbors died as a result of uncontrolled diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes is 77% higher among African Americans than among non-Hispanic White Americans. This award will allow me to implement a community-based intervention that provides support to African American grandmothers at risk for diabetes. Healthy Outcomes through Peer Educators (HOPE) will pair grandmothers with prediabetes to peer educators who are also grandmothers and reside in the same community. Peers understand what is meaningful to their community, communicate in the language of the people, and can help community members cope with stress and promote positive health outcomes.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?Diabetes research will expand into community settings where people live, work, and play. It is important for us to learn about the social and environmental factors that influence the health of people with diabetes, especially those from low income communities.