Development of a community participation program for diabetes mellitus prevention in a primary care unit, Thailand

The purpose of this study was to create and test a prevention model for diabetes mellitus in a primary care unit in Thailand. This study used a three-stage approach: a situational analysis was conducted by a focus group discussion, a model was developed in a brainstorming session with stakeholders, and the model was tested by community participation. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data. The focus group discussion found that co-operation between health volunteers and primary care unit personnel in relation to diabetes screening, as well as defining the role of nurse practitioners who provide diabetic treatment, was important. The proactive model that was used for preventing diabetes mellitus was a health promotion program. It was trialed with 160 persons with prediabetes for 3 months. After the intervention, the mean score for exercise activity among the persons with prediabetes was significantly higher, while the mean score of the Body Mass Index, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure were significantly lower than before the intervention. This meant that community participation provided proactive services to Thai persons with prediabetes.