Using Clinical and Community Guidelines to Improve the Health of Rural and Underserved Populations (Diabetes Prevention and Management)

Texas A&M Health Science Center: Center for Community Health Development

Topics:
Diabetes

The use of published guidelines to prevent, screen for, and diagnose diabetes as well as treat people with diabetes and prevent diabetes-related complications has been understudied in rural communities, especially those that are home to minority and underserved residents. In three rural areas of central Texas (Brazos Valley) where about 35% of the residents are African American or Hispanic and at high risk for diabetes, project collaborators are examining the barriers to implementing established diabetes guidelines. They are also determining which guidelines are feasible for rural areas and designing strategies to increase their use in the area’s clinical and community settings.

Project teams in each county will select at least one established clinical or community guideline to implement, such as providing assistance in helping rural healthcare providers implement evidence-based patient-education classes; tailoring diabetes management materials for rural minority patients; identifying community referral systems for increasing residents’ physical activity or enhancing healthy eating habits; or educating the community about the risk factors and symptoms of diabetes. The teams will then apply the project strategies to help county clinics or communities adopt, implement, and adhere to the guideline.

Researchers will examine the successes and barriers at each phase of the process, determine how long it took to complete each phase, and identify which strategies were most helpful. They will analyze how the guidelines affected individual health behavior and how they influenced clinic practices or community activities. After evaluating the results and modifying the strategies in the Brazos Valley, the center will explore the possibility of replicating the project in a south Texas border county where over 88% of the population is Hispanic. Researchers hope to expand the program to other counties, and to use the same model for preventing and controlling other long-term health conditions that affect people in underserved and rural areas of Texas.

 

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