An Appalachian Community Dissemination and Evaluation Diabetes Project

Objective: Describe an dissemination and evaluation project that started September 2009 and will go through September 2010.

Methods: Growth of the numbers of persons with type 2 diabetes and related problems in the Appalachian region are a growing concern. Traditional efforts to address this problem have not been successful. A culturally sensitive program and toolkit, Diabetes: A Family Matter, were created using the Family Health Model (Denham, 2003), formative research, and edutainment perspectives. Family, place, and health literacy needs of those in rural Appalachia were considered. This presentation will describe the year long dissemination and evaluation project currently occurring in eight Appalachian Ohio counties (i.e., Athens, Hocking, Lawrence, Meigs, Perry, Pike, Ross, Vinton). Goals of the program are diabetes prevention, diabetes self-management, and promotion of healthy lifestyles.  Two workshops have been used to educate community teams and supports provided to encourage recruitment and education of local volunteer SUGARHelpers.

Results: The project will evaluate the decisions and activities that occur when county teams receive education through workshops, support through minimal faculty-community interactions, and access to culturally sensitive diabetes materials.  Outcomes to be evaluated in these geographically diverse county teams include: (a) use of the toolkit materials and activities, (b) county team collaboration and activities, (c) volunteer recruitment and training, (d) levels of citizen action, (e) website use, and community outcomes. County teams composed of varied community representatives (e.g., health care professionals, schools, businesses, other leaders, etc.) lead the initiative in each of the eight counties.

Conclusion: This presentation will describe the outcomes achieved thus far.