Diabetes education mobile APP prototype for Hispanic communities

Abstract

When compared with the general United States population, Hispanic Americans are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and are far more likely to suffer devastating complications related to the disease. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine whether the use of a culturally tailored, mobile application prototype educational tool increased DM2 prevention knowledge among Hispanic patients at risk for DM2. The educational tool contained information about DM2 including risk factors, prevention, and health maintenance. The prototype was developed to function like a working mobile application and a pre/posttest was administered to participants at three local Hispanic community health fairs in Cincinnati, Ohio. Paired t test analysis of the 27 completed surveys showed a statistically significant improvement in posttest scores. The results showed that the average score was 4.1 out of a total of five possible points in the pre-test. The mean total score of the post-test was 4.7, with a total improvement of the mean score of 0.6 (0.0001). It was concluded that there was a statistically significant improvement in the knowledge of DM2 prevention after reviewing the material presented in the application prototype. In addition, participants expressed a strong interest in a working mobile application that offers culturally tailored DM2 prevention education.