JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a metabolic disease that affects over 38 million adults in the United States. T2DM disproportionately affects Hispanic adults in the U.S.

Objective:

This study describes the development and implementation of Salud Paso por Paso, a culturally tailored and linguistically appropriate intervention to increase engagement in physical activity (PA) for Hispanic adults living with T2DM.

Methods:

Participants were enrolled in a 6-week pre/post-test pilot culturally-tailored intervention with sessions covering different aspects of PA and T2DM. Participants were recruited at a local free clinic. Non-parametric paired-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to examine differences between pre- and post-intervention measures.

Results:

Twenty-one participants were recruited, and 19 participants (90.5%) completed the intervention. Participants significantly increased average hours spent in moderate PA by 3.16 hours (from 4.73 to 9.63; Z = -3.52, P<.001), average steps per week (from 23,006.38 to 43,000.81; Z = -2.79, P=.005), and minutes per week of PA (from 105.94 minutes to 224.19; Z = -3.36, P<.001).

Conclusions:

Developing effective culturally-tailored interventions that can ameliorate the deleterious effects of T2DM in Hispanic adults is an important strategy to promote health equity. The Salud Paso por Paso intervention is an effective way to promote PA in Hispanic adults living with T2DM.