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Community-Based Diabetes Community Health Worker Intervention in an Underserved Chicago Population

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Abstract

The Community Health Worker (CHW) model has been used to combat disparities in healthcare access by utilizing community members as healthcare liaisons to promote improved community health. CHW interventions have been effective in improving diabetes management. This case study reports on a low-intensity CHW intervention in a predominantly Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black population in two Chicago neighborhoods: North Lawndale and South Lawndale. CHWs conducted door-to-door outreach and, for individuals with self-reported type 2 diabetes, offered home visits at baseline and one-year follow-up to provide diabetes education, create an individual management strategy, and refer to clinic-based support services. During 2012, 459 participants were enrolled, with 343 completing follow-up visits in 2013 (75 % retention). The mean HbA1c decrease was 0.5 %. At follow-up, participants were less likely to be depressed, to forget to take their diabetes medications, and were more likely to report higher social support and score higher on an assessment of diabetes knowledge. Patients who were younger, Hispanic, had uncontrolled diabetes, and had lower levels of diabetes self-care at baseline demonstrated increased odds of a significant HbA1c decrease with the intervention than patients without these characteristics. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a home-based, low-intensity CHW intervention in medically underserved communities, and identifies population groups who might benefit the most from future similar CHW interventions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper. The authors appreciate the work of all project staff and community members who contributed to this intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sinai Urban Health Institute, 1500 South Fairfield Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60608, USA

    Michelle M. Hughes, Dharani Ramanathan & Maureen R. Benjamins

  2. Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Eric Yang & Maureen R. Benjamins

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  1. Michelle M. Hughes
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  2. Eric Yang
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Correspondence to Michelle M. Hughes.

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Hughes, M.M., Yang, E., Ramanathan, D. et al. Community-Based Diabetes Community Health Worker Intervention in an Underserved Chicago Population. J Community Health 41, 1249–1256 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0212-8

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