Empowering Communities for Improved Diabetes Health Outcomes through Collaborative engagement ,outreach and health education - INSPIRE-D: Integrated Nutrition and Screening Program for Informed Risk Education for Diabetes Prevention * NOTE: Project title has been amended to INSPIRE- D Project Abstract: 34.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes 1. South Carolina is posed with a significant public health crisis being the 8th highest state in the United States for the percentage of adults living with diabetes. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in South Carolina, more than drug overdoses, suicide, or homicide. Since 2011, diabetes prevalence among adults has increased from 12.1% to 13.6% in 2020. Diagnosed prediabetes has increased from 6.7% in 2011 to 10.9% in 2018. As highlighted by data from the South Carolina Commission of Minority Affairs, the state has witnessed a staggering 300% increase in its Hispanic population since the 2000 Census, reaching approximately 258,000 residents. This remarkable growth underscores the imperative to provide culturally sensitive and linguistically accessible healthcare services to this community. Goal: The proposed project seeks to address two key Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) domains: increasing access to quality healthcare and enhancing education access to empower individuals in understanding and applying health information, with the LHI target of reduction in “new cases” of diagnosed diabetes in the population. The target population are uninsured and underserved individuals, including adolescents, adults, pregnant individuals, and women of reproductive age from diverse ethnicities and races with major focus on Hispanic community. The funding will reduce new cases of diabetes by raising awareness, offering screenings with follow up health care accessibility and education on various aspects including nutrition, physical activity, coping strategies for mental health thus empowering people with self-management skills. This innovative holistic approach to improving health equity and overall well being in diabetes management within the community will be achieved through community collaborations with state government agencies, local hospitals, academic institutions, non-profits and community-based organizations (CBOs). This collaborative effort aims to create sustainable solutions for reducing the new diabetes cases leading to addressing SDOH factors to improve health outcomes and equity across diverse populations. By implementing a comprehensive evaluation framework that integrates quantitative data analysis, clinical measures, patient feedback, community engagement assessments, and stakeholder evaluations, the project will be able to track and measure the reduction in new cases of diabetes diagnoses over time. This ongoing evaluation process will support evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement to achieve the project's goals of reducing healthcare disparities and improving health outcomes within the Hispanic community.
