Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
An official website of the United States government
Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title
Deverts DJ, Zupa MF, Kieffer EC, Gonzalez S, Guajardo C, Valbuena F, Piatt GA, Yabes JG, Lalama C, Heisler M, Rosland AM. Patient and family engagement in culturally-tailored diabetes self-management education in a Hispanic community. Patient education and counseling. 2025 May 1; 134:108669, DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2025.108669.
Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects. OBJECTIVES: Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is effective in improving outcomes among adults with diabetes (AWD); but engagement in DSME has been lower among Hispanic AWD. We examined factors predicting engagement of Hispanic AWD in culturally tailored DSME that included a family/friend 'support person'. METHODS: 222 predominantly Hispanic AWD enrolled in DSME with a support person (SP), half of the AWD-SP pairs participated in pair-focused ('FAM-ACT') DSME and the others in patient-focused DSME. Enrollment survey and health record-based participant characteristics were compared to program attendance data. RESULTS: On average, AWD completed 3.8 of 6 and SPs 2.6 of 6 sessions. Engaged AWD (attended 4/6 DSME sessions) were more likely to live apart from their SP, have HbA1c 9 % (11.8 mmol/L), and currently prioritize diabetes among other competing demands. Engaged AWD in FAM-ACT were more likely to have SPs who also met engagement criteria (attended 3 DSME sessions), and SPs with pre-diabetes and high 'patient activation'. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic AWD who co-attended with family supporters, had higher glycemic levels, and ability to prioritize diabetes management were more engaged in culturally-tailored DSME. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Engaging family supporters and focusing on those with current health and personal motivation may increase Hispanic adult engagement in DSME.
