Group Prenatal Education for Combating Obesity and Gestational Diabetes In Hispanic Women

With the prevalence of overweight an obesity continuing to grow in the United States, the condition has begun to reach epidemic proportions. The rise of overweight and obesity has brought with it several other weight related health conditions. These conditions include hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease among others. These conditions often come with grave consequences to the patients, their families, healthcare providers, and to our healthcare system. One of the many burdens includes the cost involved to treat these conditions on a long-term basis. These health and financial burdens have lead to a growing interest in treating not only the conditions related to overweight and obesity, but finding a way to treat the weight problem as well. Weight related conditions affect everyone directly or indirectly. Hispanics are becoming overweight and obese at an alarming rate. They are losing the health benefits they may have immigrated to the U.S. with due to acculturation and what some theorists have called the Hispanic Health Paradox. There are a multitude of weight loss beliefs, diets, medications and ideas that claim to be the best way to lose weight. Many areas pertaining to weight loss have been address and incorporated into weight loss plans, however cultural diversity is not always taken into consideration when creating a weight loss plan. The objectives of this project were met my creating an educational thread to incorporate into an already existing group prenatal care setting being implemented at Ellis Shipp Clinic. The educational component consists of 12 sessions beginning in the first trimester of prenatal care with a general DM2 screening and a screening for risk factors. It continues to follow the woman throughout her pregnancy, providing culturally sensitive content tailored specifically for the Latina woman during her entire pregnancy and through the postpartum period. The final two sessions involve 2 postpartum visits (at 2 weeks and 6 weeks) with the final one involving another screening for DM2. The sessions involve group education, advice, and group interaction with the participants, journaling, sharing of ideas and recipes, and moral support. The sessions are provided in English and in Spanish to facilitate interaction between the provider and the client. Future recommendations for this project are for the educational sessions to be used for group prenatal settings throughout the valley and evaluate the effectiveness of the program and the satisfaction of the participants involved. Other future plans for this project include collaborating with other similar projects and possible incorporation into web based programs with similar goals.