Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP)
In undertaking the task of delivering community education, the Midwest Latino Health Research and Policy Center (MLHRC) has developed various curricula and educational materials on different topics. One of these efforts, the Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) has been very successful in addressing the needs of our Hispanic/Latino community and is currently replicated in different parts of the country.
History
In 1997, MLHRC received funding from the CDC(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Division of Diabetes Translation, in partnership with Latino Health Access (LHA), Inc. from Santa Ana, California to replicate the educational model they had developed and evaluated. The model uses trained community health workers, many of them with type 2 diabetes, as diabetes educators for others who have been diagnosed with diabetes. The aim of the LHA model is to reduce diabetes mortality and morbidity and related complications.
Building upon the LHA model, the MLHRC developed the DEEP in English and Spanish. LHA aided the MLHRC with the implementation and pilot-testing of the program in Chicago. Preliminary results indicated that the model was effective in changing clinical and behavioral diabetes related factors. (e.g., reducing A1c, weight loss, blood pressure, etc., and increased physical activity, healthy eating, etc.)
For more than six years, the MLHRC has provided DEEP training to community health organizations and the program is currently being implemented across the U.S., in Puerto Rico, in Peru, and along the U.S.-Mexico Border in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)'s Diabetes Initiative.
DEEP
The Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) was developed to provide community residents with the tools to better manage their diabetes in order to reduce complications and lead healthier, longer lives. Based on principles of empowerment and adult education, DEEP has two components. The Training of Trainers Program is a twenty-hour workshop to train community health workers ( promotoras , lay health educators, lay health promoters) on providing diabetes education to members of their community. The training stresses the development of skills and knowledge related to diabetes by using interactive group activities and adult education methods. Once they complete the training, health workers are prepared to deliver diabetes education and self-management classes in their communities.
The second DEEP component, The Diabetes Patient Education Program is designed as an 8-10 week curriculum for diabetes self-management education. The curriculum is divided into eight modules covering topics that include diabetes risk factors, complications, nutrition, physical activity, use of the glucose meter and medications, building partnerships with a diabetes health care team, psychosocial effects of illness, problem-solving strategies, and how to access community diabetes resources.
The curriculum is based on national medical care and diabetes self-education guidelines and recommendations. It is revised every two years (or as needed) to reflect the most current knowledge and information.
