Dining with diabetes in Louisiana

Dining with diabetes in Louisiana

The diabetes rate in Louisiana is 14.1%, making it the fourth highest rate in the nation with direct medical expenses exceeding $4.2 billion. The Dining with Diabetes curriculum is used to reach individuals with Type 2 diabetes or at risk for developing it. The program consists of a series of five classes focusing on menu planning, portion control, label reading and physical activity.

Classes offered through the Louisiana State University AgCenter were held at 10 sites across the state, reaching 82 people. Evaluation data were collected from adult program participants before the program, at the end of the program and approximately eight weeks after the program. Participants were evaluated in three areas: knowledge of nutrition and diabetes facts, overall daily adherence to recommended practices to manage diabetes (behavior) and use of food consumption recommendations to manage diabetes.

All participants had statistically significant increases in knowledge, behavior and food consumption practices between their pre- and post-tests. While there were no statistically significant changes for food consumption practices, average scores increased slightly in the follow-up survey.