Fact Sheet

 
United States - Mexico Border Diabetes Prevention and Control Project

Fact Sheet/ Survey Result/ Documents/ Collaboration Site/ Related Websites

Why was the project started?
To respond to the high mortality rates due to type 2 diabetes among the US- Mexico Border population.

When did the project begin?
It was conceptualized 1997. Activities started in 1999.

What is the US- Mexico Border Diabetes Project?
This is a U.S. and Mexico collaborative project to determine the prevalence of diabetes, identify risk factors along the U.S.- Mexico border, and to develop a bi-national diabetes prevention and control program that respond to the needs of the border population. The purpose of the project is to diminish the impact of diabetes among the border population and has two phases:
Phase I Development and implementation of a prevalence study.
Phase II Implementation of a program for diabetes prevention and control.

Study objectives?
_ Determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among residents aged 18 years and older of the US – Mexico Border Region.
_ Determine the prevalence selected risk factors.

Survey components:
Interview (65-item questionnaire), anthropometric measurements (Hip and waist circumferences; height, weight), blood pressure measurements, and blood tests (fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c).

When were the data collected?
From February 2001 to October 2002

Where were the blood samples analyzed?
The study used two reference laboratories; one at the University of Missouri for the US samples, and one in State Public Health Laboratory in Monterrey for Mexico samples.

How was the data analyzed?
A Scientific Committee formed by experts from several agencies, advised a team of statisticians and epidemiologist of both countries to perform the analysis of data based on study design.

Where is the data stored? What procedures are in place to ensure confidentiality of the data?
All data pertaining to the project is stored at the U.S.-Mexico Border Office of the Pan American Health Organization. Only the project personal in the Office have access to the data

Who will have access to the stored data? 
All project partners and investigators will have access to the data, after they present an analysis protocol to the “Presentation and Publication Policies Committee”, and the committee approves the protocol.

Where were the surveys conducted?

How is this project managed?
The US-Mexico border Office of the Pan American Organization was charged with the coordination of the project, with the support of the Executive, Scientific and Intervention Committees, with representatives from the community, state and federal levels of both countries

How is the project funded?
Primarily the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Paso del Norte Health Foundation,  California Endowment, Border State Diabetes Programs, the Secretaria de Salud de Mexico and the Pan American Health Organization

Who are the partners in the project?
More than 130 organizations; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, the Secretaria de Salud/ Subsecretaría de Prevención y Promoción de la Salud/Centro Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica y Control de Enfermedades/ Programa de Salud del Adulto y el Anciano SSA, Pan American Health Organization PAHO. The Health Departments from the 10 border Sates, the Diabetes Control and Prevention Programs from the 10 Border States, Non governmental agencies from the local, state and federal level.

Who is the intended target population for the study findings?
Health care professionals interested in diabetes and border health  issues, persons living with diabetes and their families, policy and decision makers.

Next steps/actions
In response to the diabetes problem along the US- Mexico border a community intervention research pilot study will be implemented. The new study will involve a community health worker that will deliver diabetes education to patients with diabetes and their family in the household. The standards of diabetes care will be presented to clinic personnel and a cost-effectiveness component will also be incorporate.

Phase II of the project will focus on trainings to strengthen the  capacity of the health care providers to improve the management care of patients with diabetes; to increase efforts to identify undiagnosed patients, and persons with pre-diabetes. The project will empower communities by training community health workers to promote the prevention of diabetes risk factors. 

Considering the importance of dissemination of the information gathered in study Phase I, for capacity building, Phase II of the project will focus on translating the information obtained into scientific papers, policy briefs, and training materials that will support a concurrent diabetes training and education program to ameliorate the burden of chronic disease in the Border Region. 

The series of scientific papers pursued with this initiative will provide information as a chain of integrated pieces of evidence perfectly tailored to the border characteristics that addresses the whole Border Region into one epidemiological unit of analysis.  The latter will grant to the innumerable local efforts a base to look comprehensively at both, the diagnoses and the implemented solutions built under the light of the Region commonalities. In summary, the shoestring of this intent is to provide a comprehensive enclose of facts to understand the health burden of diabetes and associated risk factors where each previous effort also becomes a voice of the same chorus of evidences.  Although politically divided, the border health problems permeate throughout the political line and require to be addressed under binational trans-border dimensions.  

In addition to the dissemination of findings to policy and decision makers, the research and academic communities, Phase II will implement an important public health strategy, strengthening capabilities of border health providers, primary care physicians, Community Health Workers and Community at large.

For more information: (915) 845 5950