Rubber hits the road
Since 2018, 16 workshops have been completed in El Paso, San Antonio, and Harlingen, Tex., of which 9 were in English, 5 were in Spanish, and 2 were bilingual. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 of the workshops were completed online, Dr. Concha said.
In total, 97 men engaged in the workshops, of whom 91% were Hispanic/Latino; 71% were employed, 71% were married, and 84% had health insurance. Eighty-six percent completed all four workshops, while 89% completed at least three workshops.
The number of days men measured food portions increased significantly from pre- to postworkshop assessment, from a mean of 2.1 days to 2.74 days, Dr. Concha reported. Similarly, the mean number of days counting carbohydrate portions increased significantly, from 1.92 to 2.64 days.
The proportion of men agreeing or strongly agreeing they were confident they could manage diabetes increased from 74% before the intervention to 93% afterward, according to Dr. Concha’s presentation.
By contrast, there were no statistically significant increases in physical outcomes including physical activity, weight, waist circumference, A1c, or blood pressure from before the workshop to after, though outcomes trended in an improved direction, according to Dr. Concha.
Postactivity satisfaction survey results showed that 86%of men said the automotive analogies in the program helped them understand the importance of diabetes management. “I am looking forward to better managing my human-mobile for a long, long time with a good quality of life,” one of the men wrote in survey feedback.
Dr. Concha and coauthors reported no conflicts of interest related to the study.