(Lumetra: San Francisco) -- Investing in culturally-appropriate, community-based interventions substantially improved rates of A1C testing among Latinos with diabetes, according to a new study published in the February American Journal of Public Health. Proper diabetes care management is essential in preventing life-threatening and debilitating complications such as heart disease, hypertension and stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and lower extremity amputations.

Researchers at Lumetra, a California-based quality improvement organization and health-care consultancy, designed the multifaceted, three-year study to improve diabetes care among Latino Medicare beneficiaries and to reduce disparities in annual A1C testing to monitor blood glucose between whites and Latinos.

“Viva La Vida is a fantastic model program for any community that longs to take control of its health, productivity and longevity,” says Rebecca Olson, Ph.D., a co-author of the study. “This study is a step-by-step blueprint of how to mobilize a community and affect positive change by engaging community partners, developing language-appropriate materials that people will respond to, and creating a proactive dialogue about healthcare prevention.”

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