South Asian Adolescent Diabetes Awareness Program: A Culturally Sensitive and Age-Adapted Nutrition Intervention...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk is rising among South Asian adolescents in Canada.
• Targeted, culturally relevant interventions are needed for T2D prevention in this demographic.
• Early lifestyle interventions are key to mitigating T2D risk before diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design, content, and delivery of the South Asian Adolescent Diabetes Awareness Program (SAADAP).
• To evaluate a community-based, culturally tailored T2D prevention initiative for South Asian adolescents.
• To integrate health equity principles with lifestyle interventions for adolescent T2D prevention.

Main Methods:

• The SAADAP program involved 68 South Asian adolescents (aged 13-17) with a family history of T2D.
• An eight-week program featured nutrition sessions co-created by experts and a youth advisory group.
• Post-intervention questionnaires assessed participant perceptions of the program's impact.

Main Results:

• 43 participants completed post-intervention questionnaires.
• 87% of participants strongly agreed on the program's beneficial impacts for South Asian adolescents.
• The program demonstrated positive outcomes in empowering youth regarding nutrition and T2D prevention.

Conclusions:

• SAADAP is a promising platform for T2D prevention education among South Asian youth.
• Culturally tailored nutrition programming is effective in promoting healthy behaviors.
• Empowering adolescents with knowledge on nutrition positively impacts T2D prevention and health outcomes.