Community Outreach
Diabetes Awareness Education
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Dr. Sue Butkus’ work focuses on translating complex medical knowledge into culturally relevant and appropriate educational programs for use in community education programs. Although the rates of diabetes are increasing at a rapid pace nationally, the rates of diabetes are not the same for all groups. The diabetes awareness research is testing the most effective ways to reach people who are disproportionately affected by diabetes: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and the poor. It is imperative that effective educational programs be designed to reach high-risk people to avoid the societal cost of uncontrolled diabetes. A 2002 survey in the state of Washington indicated that 35 percent of the 840 participants enrolled in nutrition education classes for food stamp recipients had diabetes. (Only about 6 percent of the general population in Washington report having diabetes.) Among survey participants the highest rates of diabetes were seen among Latinos and Native Americans. Although the average educational level for most of the low-income groups was 12 years or more, among the Latinos in the survey, the average educational level was less than eighth grade.
A pilot study, underway by Washington State University Cooperative Extension, has tested the effectiveness of a diabetes awareness educational program with over 500 people in eight communities. Forty-five percent of the participants are people of color and 20 percent have very low educational levels. “On the Road to Living Well with Diabetes” is an introductory diabetes awareness program that screens participants for A1c, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol and provides an explanation of the tests. It also teaches program participants how to communicate with their health care providers. The introductory program is followed by four lessons related to foods, nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle issues that help support medical treatment regimes. The program has significantly increased participants’ confidence to manage their diabetes and understanding what actions to take to reduce the risk of complications. The program has proven especially successful in reducing A1c among those who are most at risk of complications. The lessons are provided in Spanish and Russian for those groups who do not speak English.
Contact Information
Dr. Sue N. Butkus, Ph.D, R.D.
Extension Specialist
Washington State University Puyallup Research and
Extension Center
7612 Pioneer Way East
Puyallup, WA 98371-4998
Telephone: 253-445-4553
E-mail: butkus@wsu.edu
Health and Life Sciences
Diabetes
Washington State University is building programs on the social science and science of diabetes. The faculty highlighted here provide insight into ongoing research focused on ways to communicate across cultural boundaries about the causes of and risks of diabetes, to test hypotheses about advertising products and lifestyles that will lead to fewer instances of diabetes, and to better understand the fundamental science that underlies diabetes and its eventual cure. Each of these scientists and their many collaborators, both at WSU and the health care organizations in the region, will significantly impact this important area.
- Sue Butkus
- Cynthia F. Corbett
- Stephen Setter
- Robert Short
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