Purpose-The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a culturally tailored comprehensive type 2 diabetes management intervention for Korean American immigrants (KAIs) with type 2 diabetes.Methods-A randomized controlled pilot trial with 2 parallel arms (intervention vs control) with a delayed intervention design was used. A total of 79 KAIs, recruited from the Baltimore-Washington area, completed baseline, 18-week, and 30-week follow-ups (intervention, n = 40; control, n = 39). All participants had uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1C ≥7.5%) at baseline. The authors' comprehensive, self-help intervention program for type 2 diabetes management (SHIP-DM) consisted of a 6-week structured psychobehavioral education, home glucose monitoring with teletransmission, and bilingual nurse telephone counseling for 24 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was A1C level, and secondary outcomes included an array of psychobehavioral variables.Results-Using analysis of covariance, the findings support that the proposed intervention was effective in significantly lowering A1C and fasting glucose and also in improving psychosocial outcomes in the sample. Specifically, the amount of reduction in A1C among intervention group participants was 1.19% at 18 weeks and 1.31% at 30 weeks, with 10% and 15.5% of the participants achieving the suggested goal of A1C <7% at 18 and 30 weeks of follow-up, respectively. Conclusions-The results highlight the clinical efficacy of the SHIP-DM intervention composed of a 6-week education program, self-monitoring, and follow-up counseling, in terms of maintaining the improved intervention effects obtained and in terms of glucose control.Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious health problem in Asian American communities, including the Korean American immigrant (KAI) community. KAIs, one of the most underserved and understudied minority populations in the United States, are at particularly high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This risk is compounded by the fact that Asians who have emigrated to the West tend to gain weight and develop chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, after immigration. [1][2][3] Although studies of this new immigrant group are scare, available research has indicated that an overwhelming number of KAIs suffer not only from uncontrolled diabetes 4 but also from a loss of self-confidence and social isolation stemming from language and cultural barriers. 5 Researchers have found that currently available interventions for ethnic minority groups with type 2 diabetes are largely inadequate and ineffective because of insufficient integration of cultural framework and tailored strategies, which often results in suboptimal outcomes. [12][13][14][15][16] Today's KAIs, predominantly first-generation immigrants with strong ties to their traditional culture, are in great need of culturally relevant care. Integrating traditional diet and exercise and tailored counseling on pharmacological regimens based on their use of traditional herbal medicine and behavioral ...

NCT00406614.

Objective The study’s objectives were to calculate the costs and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing a health literacy-focused intervention to promote breast and cervical cancer screenings among Korean American women overdue for these tests Methods Researchers estimated the costs of a cluster-randomized controlled trial that evaluated this intervention. Effectiveness was measured as the number of breast or cervical cancer screenings received by women in either the intervention and control arms of the study. Cost-effectiveness was calculated as the incremental cost of each additional screening received by the intervention group. Results Comparing the intervention and control group, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated to be US$236 per screening, without program development costs. Conclusion These findings suggest this program, when compared with others, offered a more cost-effective approach for promoting cancer screening. Local health officials could use this information to guide decisions about reducing cancer disparities among recent immigrant women.

While increasing numbers of researchers are targeting ethnic minorities in order to address their health disparities, the unique health needs of Korean Americans are not well known to the mainstream community, and only relatively few systematic research studies have been conducted in this "hard-to reach" population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the barriers to recruiting participants for health promotion research and to identify facilitators in the community that can contribute to this effort. We have analyzed data pertaining to the 14 studies we have conducted since 1998, which included a total sample of about 2,400 Korean Americans. We describe in detail the unique recruitment challenges that we have faced in regard to the culture, language, sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, such as gender and age, and other community level barriers. Multiple strategies at different levels (individual and community) to address these issues are discussed.

Introduction Korean Americans are one of the most underserved ethnic/linguistic minority groups owing to cultural and institutional barriers; there is an urgent need for culturally competent diabetes management programs in the Korean American community for those with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a community-based, culturally tailored, multimodal behavioral intervention program in an ethnic/linguistic minority group with type 2 diabetes. Design A RCT with waitlist comparison based on the Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling Constructs in Education/environmental Diagnosis and Evaluation (PRECEDE)–Policy, Regulatory, and Organizational Constructs in Educational and Environmental Development (PROCEED) and self-help models. Data were collected between September 2010 and June 2013 and were analyzed in August–December 2014. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Setting/participants In a naturally occurring community setting, a total of 250 Korean Americans with type 2 diabetes were randomized into an intervention group (n=120) or a control group (n=130). Intervention The intervention consisted of key self-management skill-building activities through 12 hours of group education sessions, followed by integrated counseling and behavioral coaching by a team of RNs and community health workers. Main outcome measures Primary (clinical) outcomes were hemoglobin A1c, glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein at baseline and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Secondary (psychosocial and behavioral) outcomes included diabetes-related quality of life, self-efficacy, adherence to diabetes management regimen, and health literacy. Results During the 12-month project, the intervention group demonstrated 1.0%–1.3% (10.9–14.2 mmol/mol) reductions in hemoglobin A1c, whereas the control group achieved reductions of 0.5%–0.7% (5.5–7.7 mmol/mol). The differences between the two groups were statistically significant. The intervention group showed statistically significant improvement in diabetes-related self-efficacy and quality of life when compared with the control group. Conclusions RN/community health worker teams equipped with culturally tailored training can be effective in helping an ethnic/linguistic minority group manage diabetes in the community.