How ASU and nonprofits are curbing high diabetes rates among Latinos
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Local nonprofits and ASU are using family-oriented techniques to prevent diabetes in Phoenix's Latino community.
Why it matters: Latino kids and adults are significantly more likely to develop diabetes, according to estimates published in JAMA Pediatrics.
By the numbers: About 23% of Latino youth ages 12-18 have pre-diabetes compared with about 16% of non-Hispanic white youth.
- Type 2 diabetes impacts 22% of Latino adults compared with 12% for non-Hispanic whites.
Threat level: Latino adults have more than a 50% chance of developing diabetes in their lifetime, according to the CDC.
What's happening: There's no singular cause of diabetes, according to ASU nursing professor Aliria Rascón. But there are a handful of environmental and economic factors that can contribute to risk, including lack of access to:
- Healthy food
- Safe outdoor spaces for physical activity
- Health insurance
- Health care facilities
Flashback: St. Vincent de Paul dietitians started a family nutrition education program called Every Little Step Counts in 2005 when the organization realized the significant need for diabetes prevention that catered to the Latino population.
- Around the same time, ASU professor Gabriel Shaibi began evaluating the success of the nutrition classes.
How it works: Every Little Step Counts has since expanded into a 16-week program based out of the YMCA. Children and their parents are expected to attend weekly nutrition courses and supervised physical activity.
- "You can't expect a kid to change without the support of their parents," Shaibi says.
- Engaging the whole family ensures accountability and emotional support within the household and empowers kids to be more engaged in food preparation, he says.
Between the lines: Shaibi says ASU's role is to provide the scientific structure of the program and document outcomes. But St. Vincent de Paul and the YMCA have free rein to deliver services in ways that are best for the communities they serve.
What they found: After completing Every Little Step Counts, most youth saw a decrease in body fat and 67% of participants with pre-diabetes were no longer pre-diabetic, according to the organization.
1 cool thing: ASU student Jocelyn Diaz Sanchez was diagnosed with pre-diabetes at age 10 by a provider at a low-cost clinic in Maryvale. Diaz Sanchez was undocumented and didn't have health insurance, so the provider directed her to the free Every Little Step Counts classes.
- About a decade later, Diaz Sanchez is teaching those classes to young people.
- She had been pursuing an engineering degree but changed her major and plans to get a master's degree in public health after seeing the success of the family-oriented health program — this time from the other side of the classroom.
What's next: Every Little Step Counts is offered at three Valley YMCA facilities. Shaibi and Rascón tell Axios Phoenix they hope to expand the program to rural parts of Arizona soon.