- December 17, 2020

Latino families are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2D) but there are no family-focused diabetes prevention programs described in the literature. In order to address this gap, a team from the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention has been awarded a seed grant from Arizona State University’s Institute for Social Science Research to identify ways to meet the diabetes prevention needs of high-risk Latino families. The project, titled “Explicating Family Processes to Support Diabetes Prevention in Latino Families,” will conduct interviews with past research participants to gain insight into potential adaptations of their current intervention to enhance its reach and diffusion for the family system.

“By prioritizing the health of the family unit, we hope to increase the overall effect and impact of diabetes prevention efforts,” said Dr. Gabriel Shaibi, CHPDP director and principal investigator on the grant. “This formative work will lay the foundation for a larger trial in the community with our community partners." 

For more than a decade, the ASU team has collaborated with the Ivy Center for Family Wellness at the St. Vincent de Paul Medical and Dental Clinic to develop and test health promotion and diabetes prevention interventions among high-risk Latino youth. This seed grant will leverage their collective experience in order to advance the science while meeting community needs.