MATCH: The Mexican-American Trial of Community Health Workers

A Community Health Worker makes 36 home visits to the person with diabetes over a two year period, providing diabetes education and self-management skills training. The curriculum covers recommended diabetes self-management behaviors including glucose self-monitoring, responding to abnormal blood glucose levels, working effectively with health care providers, medication adherence, foot care, daily physical activity, and reducing fat content of diet. CHWs also deliver training in behavioral skills of self-monitoring, environmental restructuring, engagement of social support, stress management, and problem-solving skills to facilitate the self-management activities.

Diabetes education and self-management skills training delivered via 36 bilingual diabetes education newsletters over a 2 year period. The newsletters cover recommended diabetes self-management behaviors including glucose self-monitoring, responding to abnormal blood glucose levels, working effectively with health care providers, medication adherence, foot care, daily physical activity, and reducing fat content of diet. The newsletters also describe behavioral skills of self-monitoring, environmental restructuring, engagement of social support, stress management, and problem-solving skills to facilitate the self-management activities.