Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Campus Access
Embargo Period
11-2-2020
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Post Master's DNP Completion
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
Type 2 Diabetes, African American, Culturally tailored educational program, Self-management, Diabetes Self-care barriers
Advisor
Dr. Kimberly Dion
DNP Project Chair
Dr. Kimberly Dion
DNP Project Member Name
Dr. Pamela Aselton
DNP Project Outside Member Name
Dr. Cyril Ubiem
Abstract
Background: African Americans are disproportionately affected by type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Efforts to improve health outcomes related to diabetes and reduce associated complications have focused on self-management. Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focuses on implementing a culturally tailored diabetes education program with the goal of increasing participants’ knowledge and management of their disease. Methods: This quality improvement project was implemented at a community health center in Dorchester, Massachusetts, with African American adults age 18 years and older. The culturally tailored educational sessions were conducted biweekly for a total of six sessions; each session lasted approximately 90 minutes. The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) guidelines was used to develop the education curriculum. The session topics included an overview of diabetes, nutrition and healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management. A survey and diabetes knowledge questionnaire was administered at the first and the last group session. Results: Fourteen African Americans with T2DM, ages 42-67 years old, participated in the culturally tailored educational intervention. Ten participants completed the minimum of four sessions to be included in data analysis for this project. The results indicate that knowledge on self-management of diabetes increased, with 60% of the participants having >50% rate of improvement between the pre and post-test scores. Conclusion: The culturally tailored education demonstrated effectiveness in increasing knowledge of diabetes among African American adults. Diet, exercise, and stress management are considered necessary components in the management of diabetes and have been found to positively affect knowledge and self-monitoring of diabetes.
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