CONCLUSIONS Despite a compelling theoretical base , research ers have only minimally studied the value of interventions targeting patients ' social networks on diabetes care .
OBJECTIVES In the care of patients with type 2 diabetes , self-management is emphasised and studied while theory and observations suggest that patients also benefit from social support .
We sought to assess the effect of social network interventions on social support , glycaemic control and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes .
Picture Good Health: A Church-Based Self-Management Intervention Among Latino Adults with Diabetes
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Churches may provide a familiar and accessible setting for chronic disease self-management education and social support for Latinos with diabetes . OBJECTIVE We assessed the impact of a multi-faceted church-based diabetes self-management intervention on diabetes outcomes among Latino adults . DESIGN This was a community-based , r and omized controlled , pilot study .SUBJECTSOne-hundred adults with self-reported diabetes from a Midwestern , urban , low-income Mexican-American neighborhood were included in the study . INTERVENTIONS Intervention participants were enrolled in a church-based diabetes self-management program that included eight weekly group classes led by trained lay leaders . Enhanced usual care participants attended one 90-minute lecture on diabetes self-management at a local church . OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was change in glycosylated hemoglobin ( A1C ) . Secondary outcomes included changes in low-density lipoproteins ( LDL ) , blood pressure , weight , and diabetes self-care practice s . KEY RESULTS Participants ’ mean age was 54 ± 12 years , 81 % were female , 98 % were Latino , and 51 % were uninsured . At 3 months , study participants in both arms decreased their A1C from baseline ( −0.32 % , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : -0.62 , -0.02 % ) . The difference in change in A1C , LDL , blood pressure and weight from baseline to 3-month and 6-month follow-up was not statistically significant between the intervention and enhanced usual care groups . Intervention participants reported fewer days of consuming high fat foods in the previous week ( −1.34 , 95 % CI : -2.22 , -0.46 ) and more days of participating in exercise ( 1.58 , 95 % CI : 0.24 , 2.92 ) compared to enhanced usual care from baseline to 6 months . CONCLUSIONS A pilot church-based diabetes self-management intervention did not reduce A1C , but result ed in decreased high fat food consumption and increased participation in exercise among low-income Latino adults with diabetes .  Future church-based interventions may need to strengthen linkages to the healthcare system and provide continued support to participants to impact clinical outcomes
CONCLUSIONS Despite a compelling theoretical base , research ers have only minimally studied the value of interventions targeting patients ' social networks on diabetes care .
OBJECTIVES In the care of patients with type 2 diabetes , self-management is emphasised and studied while theory and observations suggest that patients also benefit from social support .
We sought to assess the effect of social network interventions on social support , glycaemic control and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes .