CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH SUCCESSFUL DIABETES RISK REDUCTION AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH PRE-DIABETES

Pre-diabetes affects 1 out of 3 adults in the United States of America. Approximately 15-30% of those with pre-diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes within five years. Almost 40% of non-Hispanic Blacks have pre-diabetes. The risk of pre-diabetes is 77% higher among African Americans than non-Hispanic white Americans. Individuals diagnosed with pre-diabetes will likely develop Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Aim: This study compared the performance of those who either perform well or not in a conventional diabetes risk reduction intervention versus a mindfulness intervention program for African Americans.Methods: The study used secondary data from the original research (We Can Prevent Diabetes) that used a mixed-method design. The parent study was a Randomized Control Trial with an experimental group (mindfulness-based diabetes risk-reduction education program; MPD) and an attention control group (conventional diabetes risk-reduction education program; CPD).In the quantitative portion of the study, body composition, diabetes bio-markers (HbA1c, BMI, Waist to Hip circumference,) and surveys (group cohesion, credibility, pre and post-program assessment) were assessed. Using a phenomenological narrative, the participants shared their lived experiences of participating in the program through in-depth interviews. In this current study, qualitative data was analyzed to obtain the experiences of individuals who either met or did not meet target outcomes while participating in the program.Results: Assessment of results included the clinical indices and experiences of those who achieved targets or did not on the program. The characteristics of participants who performed well or not in the intervention will be examined. This study used descriptive analysis using frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation and graphs and charts to display results. Conclusion: Several Randomized Control Trials show that, for example, African Americans perform poorly on some intervention programs for pre-diabetes compared to their white counterparts due to individual program structure and environmental influences. It is not known which sub-groups of individuals among an African American population (e.g., age, socioeconomic status) succeed or not in a Convention Diabetes Risk Reduction Program. Neither are their physiological characteristics also explored to recalibrate intervention programs. This study highlighted potential elements to observe when planning an intervention program for African Americans.