Patient centered care collaboration (PCCC) in chicago: Health empowerment and lifestyle program (HELP) for African americans with obesity, hypertension, and/or diabetes

Background. PCCC is an initiative of the USDHHS Office of Minority Health implemented by the Urban Health and Diversity programs at UIC School of Public Health through a partnership with Westat Research, Inc. PCCC calls for building partnerships with diverse sectors, developing and pilot-testing promising practices to reduce obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes disparities. HELP addresses obesity, hypertension and diabetes by applying adult education and empowerment principles adapted from the evidence-based Diabetes Empowerment Education Program. Methods. PCCC is implementing ten-week, five-cohort study at three Chicago community health centers targeting African American adults (18-66 years) with hypertension, obesity and/or diabetes. A trained patient navigator from each clinic recruited patients from an administratively generated eligibility list. A trained community health worker (CHW) is conducting two-hour weekly interactive educational sessions using HELP. Clinical (BMI, blood pressure, A1c, waist circumference) and behavioral data are measured at baseline and post-test. Eligible participants are reimbursed to facilitate their attendance. We will conduct focus group discussions to assess program receptivity at the patient and staff levels. Results. Forty-six eligible participants with complete baseline data were enrolled. Sessions and data entry are ongoing. Participation rate is approximately 90% at the three educational sessions implemented at five cohorts. Participants have low education, income and health literacy levels. The CHW plays a critical role in providing linguistic, cultural and health literacy appropriate education. Conclusion. Successful chronic disease self-management education programs can be facilitated by CHWs applying adult education and empowerment principles to address linguistic, cultural and literacy limitations.