Impact of a Plant-Based Diet and Support on Mitigating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Latinos Living in Medically Underserved Areas

Purpose: To determine the impact that a high-fiber, low-fat diet, derived from mostly plant-based sources, when coupled with support has upon self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Latinos from medically underserved areas (MUAs). Design: Experimental randomized controlled community pilot study. Setting: Three community clinics in MUAs located within San Bernardino County, California. Participants: Thirty-two randomly assigned Latinos with A1_C greater than 6.4: 15 control and 17 experimental. Intervention: Participants completed a 5-week education program. Researchers provided follow-up support for 17 randomly assigned experimental group participants through focus groups held at participating clinics—1, 3, and 6 months posteducation. Measures: Changes in fat and fiber consumption were measured using a modified Dietary Screener for Mexican Americans. Self-management was measured through the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and Diabetes Quality of Life Measure. Analysis: Baseline characteristics for both groups were analyzed using independent t tests and χ² tests. A 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze biometric data between baseline and 6 months for both groups. Results: Mean A1_C levels decreased from baseline to 6 months for both groups: control, μ₁ = 9.57, μ₂ = 9.49; experimental, μ₁ = 8.53, μ₂ = 7.31. Conclusion: The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in mean A1_C levels (P =.002) when compared to the control group.