TY - JOUR
T1 - Rationale and design of the Miami Healthy Heart Initiative
T2 - A randomized controlled study of a community health worker intervention among Latino patients with poorly controlled diabetes
AU - Carrasquillo, Olveen
AU - Patberg, Elizabeth
AU - Alonzo, Yisel
AU - Li, Hua
AU - Kenya, Sonjia
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/2/27
Y1 - 2014/2/27
N2 - Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus disproportionately affects the Latino community. Latinos with diabetes are also less likely to have adequate control of cardiovascular risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure. Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being used to address various health disparity conditions, including diabetes. However, evidence of their effectiveness from randomized controlled trials is limited. Methods: The Miami Health Heart Initiative is a randomized controlled trial of 300 Latino patients with diabetes. Patients with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥8.0% were recruited from Miami-Dade's public hospital system. At baseline, all patients underwent phlebotomy, physical examination, and a structured 90-minute research interview. They were then randomized to either usual care or a CHW intervention called Cariño. For participants in the Cariño arm of the study, CHW services included assistance with nonmedical social services, health education, and patient navigation in which the CHWs serve as a bridge between patients and the health care system. These services were delivered through home visits, phone calls, and group visits. At 12 months, all subjects had a follow-up examination. The primary outcomes at 1 year are changes in systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, and HbA1c. Secondary outcomes include medication adherence, medication intensification, diabetes self-efficacy, physical activity, and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake. Discussion: The Miami Healthy Heart Initiative is one of the first rigorously conducted randomized controlled trials to provide evidence on the impact of CHWs on diabetes intermediate outcomes among Latinos. If the data support our primary hypotheses, the study would lend added support to ongoing efforts to incorporate CHWs as part of our national efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities.
AB - Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus disproportionately affects the Latino community. Latinos with diabetes are also less likely to have adequate control of cardiovascular risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure. Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being used to address various health disparity conditions, including diabetes. However, evidence of their effectiveness from randomized controlled trials is limited. Methods: The Miami Health Heart Initiative is a randomized controlled trial of 300 Latino patients with diabetes. Patients with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥8.0% were recruited from Miami-Dade's public hospital system. At baseline, all patients underwent phlebotomy, physical examination, and a structured 90-minute research interview. They were then randomized to either usual care or a CHW intervention called Cariño. For participants in the Cariño arm of the study, CHW services included assistance with nonmedical social services, health education, and patient navigation in which the CHWs serve as a bridge between patients and the health care system. These services were delivered through home visits, phone calls, and group visits. At 12 months, all subjects had a follow-up examination. The primary outcomes at 1 year are changes in systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, and HbA1c. Secondary outcomes include medication adherence, medication intensification, diabetes self-efficacy, physical activity, and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake. Discussion: The Miami Healthy Heart Initiative is one of the first rigorously conducted randomized controlled trials to provide evidence on the impact of CHWs on diabetes intermediate outcomes among Latinos. If the data support our primary hypotheses, the study would lend added support to ongoing efforts to incorporate CHWs as part of our national efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities.
KW - Community health workers
KW - Health care disparities
KW - Health care support
KW - Hispanic
KW - Randomized trial
KW - Type II diabetes
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U2 - 10.2147/IJGM.S56250
DO - 10.2147/IJGM.S56250
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84895131031
VL - 7
SP - 115
EP - 125
JO - International Journal of General Medicine
JF - International Journal of General Medicine
SN - 1178-7074
ER -