title: Sustaining a creative community-based diabetes education program: motivating Texans with type 2 diabetes to do well with diabetes control.
abstract: The purpose of the community-based diabetes education project was to evaluate participants' knowledge and use of healthy cooking practices as they relate to controlling diabetes. In addition, an attempt was made to ascertain whether participants' self-reported blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C changed as a result of the educational intervention.
  
  
  
  Extension agents were trained statewide on principles of diabetes self-management education (DSME) and nutrition concepts for the programs Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes (DWBW) and Cooking Well with Diabetes (CWWD). Upon returning to their respective counties, trained extension agents established health coalitions for program delivery. In 86 counties, online data were collected on perceived knowledge and behaviors related to healthy cooking practice and were assessed before the start of the program (pretest; time 1), after the third lesson (posttest; time 2), and again after the fourth and final lesson (time 3).
  
  
  
  Most participants trained in DWBW joined cooking classes so the group already had some knowledge of food preparation techniques and had adopted many of the recommended practices, yet the program still had impact. Findings suggest an improvement in participants' knowledge and self-reported behaviors.
  
  
  
  The CWWD program provided a short-term impact of knowledge gain, and the adoption of healthy cooking practices was observed among program participants. A pattern of healthy eating should lead to a reduction of blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C. The relatively short time between pretest and posttest was not sufficient to realize and measure such reductions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition & Food Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (Dr Bielamowicz)
authors.forename: Mary Kinney
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bielamowicz
authors.affiliation: Extension Evaluation & Accountability Collaborative, Organizational Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (Mr Pope)
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Family Development and Resource Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (Dr Rice)
authors.forename: Carol Ann
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human