Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Lifestyle Initiative: An Innovative Coaching-Based Quality Improvement Study To Improve The Health Of Aurora Health Care Caregivers And Family Members, Tiffany A. Mullen, Jessica J.F. Kram, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Dennis J. Baumgardner, MD

Background: Self-management support has been shown to improve clinical outcomes. Health coaching, one form of self-management support, empowers patients within the health care system by providing information and through collaboratively developed care plans.

Purpose: Assess the impact of The Lifestyle Initiative, a coaching-based health program utilized by Aurora Health Care caregivers or family members.

Methods: The Lifestyle Initiative is a coaching-based approach for Aurora caregivers or family members enrolled in Aurora’s health insurance network. Individuals were recruited from the care management database, and all participants had an Aurora primary care provider. Participation was limited to those ≥ 18 years of …

Impact Of The Heart Watch Program On Patients At Risk Of Developing Metabolic Syndrome, Prediabetes Or Cardiovascular Disease, Jennifer T. Fink, Kathryn K. Havens, Julia A. Schumacher, Renee E. Walker, George L. Morris Iii, David A. Nelson, Maharaj Singh, Ron A. Cisler

Maharaj Singh

Purpose

Metabolic syndrome is a set of metabolic risk factors associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of a lifestyle modification program (Heart WATCH) geared toward reducing development of chronic disease in women deemed at risk for metabolic syndrome, prediabetes and/or cardiovascular disease.

Methods

Our institution’s Heart WATCH program consists of screening sessions with a multidisciplinary team (physician/nurse, nutritionist and psychologist), a minimum of three visits with a nurse practitioner and weekly follow-up phone calls for a 14-week period. Sociodemographic variables were obtained at initial visit. Biometric testing indices …

Appalachian Regional Model For Organizing And Sustaining County-Level Diabetes Coalitions, Richard Crespo, Molly Shrewsberry, Darrlyn Cornelius-Averhart, Henry B. King Jr.

Richard Crespo

This article describes a model for developing diabetes coalitions in rural Appalachian counties and presents evidence of their sustainability. The rural Appalachian coalition model was developed through a partnership between two federal agencies and a regional university. Coalitions go through a competitive application process to apply for one-time $10,000 grants. The project has funded 7 to 9 coalitions annually since 2001, reaching 66 total coalitions in 2008. Sustainability of the coalitions is defined by the number of coalitions that voluntarily report on their programs and services. In 2008, 58 of 66 (87%) coalitions in the Appalachian region continue to function …

Are Podcasts Effective At Educating African American Men About Diabetes, Jarrett Johnson, Levi Ross, Walter Iwanenko, Judith Schiffert, Arup Sen

Levi Ross

Education is a critical component of the National Blueprint to eliminate racial disparities in diabetes. Research indicates that traditional methods of diabetes education has had limited effectiveness with minority populations and suggests that different educational approaches be explored. The purpose of the research was to explore the effectiveness of an emergent technology (podcast) for use in educating inner-city, African American men about diabetes prevention. Thirty African American men participated in self-administered, pretest-posttest surveys in August 2009. Surveys collected information on demographic characteristics, perceptions of diabetes, and diabetes knowledge. Paired samples t test was computed to evaluate pretest-posttest changes in overall …

Alcohol Consumption And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease By Diabetes Status, Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

Background—An inverse association between moderate alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been observed in several epidemiological studies. To assess whether a similar association exists among diabetics, we examined the relation between light to moderate alcohol consumption and CHD in men with and without diabetes mellitus in a prospective cohort study. Methods and Results—A total of 87 938 US physicians (2790 with diagnosed diabetes mellitus) who were invited to participate in the Physicians’ Health Study and were free of myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer, or liver disease at baseline were followed for an average of 5.5 years for death with …