Research & Practice
Development of a Culturally Relevant Diabetes Nutrition Resource
EthnoMed, an online medical resource created by the joint efforts of Harborview Medical Center and UW Health Sciences Libraries, works with several partners to create health education resources for various immigrant and refugee communities in the Seattle area. These resources are used by providers when discussing how culture-specific foods affect blood sugar. Recently, clinicians serving Punjabi-speaking Indian immigrants in the Seattle area identified a need for diabetes education material specific to the Indian immigrant community. The goal of this project was to use information gathered from the literature, community members, and providers to develop a visual education resource in the form of PowerPoint slides containing text and images.
After conducting a background literature review, local Indian community members were interviewed about Indian culture and cuisine, and providers were contacted for clinical insight. The gathered information was used to develop the resource draft, which was then reviewed by a focus group of community members and consulted providers. The final resource will be translated into both English and Punjabi, and a printed format will be used in local clinics as a visual tool during conversations between providers and Indian patients about diabetes. The resource will help patients identify foods and drinks that have high and low impacts on blood sugar. It will be especially helpful in teaching recommended portion sizes of foods with high carbohydrate contents. This resource will also be published on the EthnoMed website, making it accessible to patients and providers living in Washington, the U.S., and abroad.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Kelly Wolffe
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2020
Adviser(s):