Culturally Tailored Health Education Improves Clinical Outcomes Among Minorities With Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds

Culturally tailored health education appears to help improve some clinical outcomes in the short-term for minorities with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Reuters Health reports. The study noted that language and cultural barriers can serve as obstacles to quality diabetes health education for minorities.

For the study, author Yolanda Robles of United Kingdom-based Cardiff University analyzed results from 11 published studies that compared the efficacy of culturally tailored diabetes education with standard diabetes care. The studies included 1,603 minority participants from middle- or high-income nations.

Researchers found "clinically significant improvements" in blood sugar control among participants who received diabetes education in their native language that used culture-specific information. Participants receiving culturally tailored care also showed improved knowledge of diabetes and healthy lifestyles, according to Reuters Health. The improvements were noted three to six months after the participants received the care.

The findings support the idea "that health education should be couched in a learner-centered manner" and should consider religious aspects, as well as social and cultural values, researchers said.

Robles said that more research is needed to study the long-term effects of culturally tailored diabetes education (Hendry, Reuters Health, 7/21).

An abstract of the study is available online.