M Kaye Kramer, Yolanda Perez Cepak, Elizabeth M Venditti, Linda N Semler, Andrea M Kriska
In the USA, Hispanic people are disproportionately affected by diabetes. Approximately 11.8% of Hispanic adults have diabetes, compared with around 7.1% of non-Hispanic whites. The Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) programme (www.diabetesprevention.pitt.edu), which is adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) (www.bsc.gwu.edu/dpp) lifestyle intervention, has been shown to lower risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but has only been evaluated in English-speaking populations. The objective of this pilot project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Spanish-translated version of the GLB programme in enabling members of a high-risk Hispanic population to reduce their weight. Non-diabetic, overweight adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 26 kg/m2 who were taking part in the City of Dallas Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programme were eligible to enrol in this non-randomised, prospective evaluation. Bilingual GLB-trained health professionals delivered the programme over a period of 12–15 weeks, with measures collected at baseline and post intervention. A total of 27 overweight or obese Hispanic women participated in the study, of whom 18 individuals (66.7%) reported that they did not graduate from high school and 22 individuals (81.5%) were unemployed or homemakers. Those who attended at least half of the sessions (n = 12)demonstrated a mean weight loss of 6.8 pounds (3.9%), with 4 women (33%) and 3 women (25%) achieving a 5% and 7% weight loss, respectively. Five individuals in this group (41.2%) achieved the physical activity goal of 150 minutes per week. The number of sessions attended was positively correlated with weight loss (P = 0.01). Barriers to participation included new employment, participants’ and children’s health problems, relocation and lack of transportation. In conclusion, the Spanish-translated version of the 12-session GLB programme was successfully delivered within the City of Dallas WIC Program.The women who took part demonstrated significant weight loss. There is a lack of up-to-date health material available in Spanish. This project is an important step towards initiating widespread diabetes prevention efforts in high-risk and vulnerable minority populations.
