Although the internet increases the availability of diabetes-related health information, health care consumers need to have different skills in order to obtain, interpret and evaluate such information. The eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) was originally developed to assess consumers' perceived skills at using information technology for health. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of older Hispanics' with type 2 diabetes in using the internet for diabetes management. This study was conducted in the USA among a convenience sample of older Hispanics with type 2 diabetes (n = 20) who attended a senior center in East Harlem, New York City. All participants first completed eHEALS and a demographic, diabetes-related, and smart phone use form either in English or Spanish and then participated in a focus group. Descriptive statistics and a univariate exploratory analysis were conducted to determine differences in electronic health literacy based on age or gender. In addition, qualitative data from the focus groups were analyzed. No significant differences were found based on age (F = 0.76, p = 0.66), but a t-test found significant differences based on gender (t = -2.67, df = 18, p = 0.015). During the qualitative data analysis, five themes were identified from the focus group responses. Although the participants had access to the internet, they were not using the technology to access diabetes-related health information. Given the small sample size in this study, the Spanish version of the instrument needs to be used in a larger sample and further psychometric testing.

Objective To evaluate the health effectiveness of community health workers among three groups (intervention, attentional control and control groups) of Hispanic adults with uncontrolled (HbA1c >8%) type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods This was a randomized clinical trial involving 180 English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic individuals with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus, 40–74 years of age, who received diabetes care at an outpatient, public, urban hospital. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effect of time and group on the primary outcome measure and secondary outcomes. Group differences in the percentage of participants achieving at least 1% reduction in HbA1c levels were assessed using chi-square tests. Results Patients’ ages ranged from 44 to 74 years, 40% were male, 97% preferred Spanish and seven Spanish-speaking countries were identified as country of origin. Relative to the control and attentional control groups, the intervention group showed greater HbA1c reduction from baseline to 12 months and was the group with the highest percentage of participants showing 1% or more HbA1c reduction. Conclusion Integration of community health workers improved disease control for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the intervention phase. Peer-driven/interactive ways to sustain diabetes control need to be explored.

The ability to appropriately care for diverse populations is an expected competency of the graduated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). To provide effective materials to ensure this competency is met, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing developed the Toolkit of Resources for Cultural Competent Education for Baccalaureate Nurses. The toolkit provides information on cultural competency models and teaching strategies nurse educators can use to facilitate student learning in cultural sensitivity and competency. This article demonstrates how one model in particular, Campinha-Bacote's Model of Cultural Competence, was utilized for 15 weeks in an undergraduate BSN nursing course for a student population in an urban school of nursing to effectively provide students with the skill set needed to give culturally competent care. This article will provide the methods and strategies used to teach cultural competency as based on Campinha-Bactote's Model in an undergraduate nursing course.