Abstract
Objectives: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is highly prevalent in Somali immigrant children and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels are elevated in this population compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Current self-management diabetes education has not been tailored to this population. We aimed to improve delivery of T1D education to Somali immigrants by developing and testing a culturally-appropriate video-based curriculum. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved Somali youth ≤ 19 years with T1D followed at two pediatric tertiary centers in Minnesota. Ten Somali-language T1D education videos were developed (∼60 min for total program) based on core ADA curriculum and tailored to address cultural concerns and misconceptions. A diabetes knowledge questionnaire was administered to parents of all participants and to children aged ≥12 years. Pre- and post-educational session questionnaire mean scores were compared using a paired t-test to assess knowledge improvement immediately post-video education (primary endpoint) and retention at 3 months (secondary endpoint). HbA1c was measured pre- and 6 months post education (exploratory endpoint). Results: Twenty-two Somali parents of 22 children participated (mean age 12.3 ± 4 years; 36 % female), 12 children ≥12 years. Diabetes knowledge scores significantly improved immediately post-video education compared to baseline (p = 0.012). This improvement persisted 3 months later (p = 0.0008). There was no significant change in mean HbA1c from baseline at 6 months post education (9.0 ± 1.5 % vs 9.3 ± 1.9; p = 0.6). Conclusion: Culturally and linguistically tailoring diabetes education materials to African immigrants and delivering it audio-visually could improve effectiveness of diabetes education and increase knowledge and retention compared to simply translating standard diabetes education materials. The effect on HbA1c needs further study with a larger sample size.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100313 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology |
| Volume | 31 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors wish to thank Dr. Salah Malin and Mr. Feisal Elmi for their insight into the Somali culture. We also acknowledge Marrissa Ludwig, RN, for her assistance guiding the education content of the videos. We are thankful for the parents of Somali children we follow in clinic for their feedback and suggestions. The authors wish to thank Weihua Guan, M.S. Ph.D. and Ellie Northrop for providing statistical support via the Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center (BDAC) at the University of Minnesota. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health Award Number UL1TR000114. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This work was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [Award Number UL1TR000114]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health Award Number UL1TR000114. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
Keywords
- Culture
- Diabetes education
- HbA1c
- Somali
- T1D
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
