Enhanced Participation in Diabetes Screening and Care After Gestational Diabetes Through Community Health Workers: Results from the Es Mejor Saber Randomized Controlled Trial

The objective of this study was to therefore determine whether bilingu al, bicultural community health workers (i.e., promotoras) increase participation in postpartum disease screening and referral for diabetes prevention or care in an urban, low-resource Hispanic community. Ninety-four women with GDM were recruited from the postpartum ward of a safety-net hospital and randomized equally to receive either standard-of-care alone or standard-of-care with a promotora-based intervention consisting of education, appointment reminders, and assistance navigating the healthcare system. Adherence to diabetes screening visits by 12 weeks postpartum and referral for preven tive or diabetes care by 18 weeks postpartum was assessed through electronic medical record review. Compared to controls, women in the promotora group completed more diabetes screening visits (74% vs. 96%; relative risk [RR] 3.9; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.1–14.1; p = 0.04). Among those w ho completed diabetes screening visits, women in the promotora group were also more likely to complete a subsequent referral visit for preventive or diabetes care (17% vs. 83%; RR 4.0; 95% CI 2.1–7.4; p <  0.01). A promotora-based intervention consisting of bilingual, bicultural community health workers improved diabetes screening, prevention, and treatment visits in a resource-limited community of Hispanic women with GDM.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00998595.
Source: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research