Alliance for a Healthy Border: factors related to weight reduction and glycemic success

We examined the factors related to success in achieving weight reduction and glycemic control in Alliance for a Healthy Border (AHB), a chronic disease prevention program implemented from 2006 to 2009 through 12 federally qualified community health centers serving primarily Hispanics in communities located along the US-Mexico border region. We analyzed data from Phase I of AHB using logistic regression to examine the determinants of success in achieving weight reduction and glycemic control among the participants in AHB programs. Factors affecting weight reduction success were sex, age, employment status, income, insurance, diabetes, baseline body mass index (BMI), smoking status, family history of diabetes, session type, program duration, and physical activity changes. Factors affecting achievement of glycemic success included sex, age, employment status, diabetes, baseline BMI, family history of diabetes, program duration, and physical activity changes. We found that the AHB interventions were more successful in reducing participants' HbA1c level than BMI. In addition to sociodemographic factors, participants with better baseline health conditions (ie, participants without diabetes or family history of diabetes, normal BMI, former smokers) were more likely to achieve success after the interventions. Of the 4 key features defining each of the 12 interventions, session type and program duration were associated with success. Within a relatively short time period, physical activity improvements had a stronger effect on weight reduction and glycemic success than improvements in dietary habits. The effectiveness of diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention programs can be improved substantially by considering these factors during program design and structure.