Cooking Classes for Chinese Canadian Patients Living With Diabetes (CCDS)

The Effects of Attending Language and Culturally Appropriate Cooking Classes on Glycemic Control, Diabetes Knowledge and Self-management in Chinese-Canadian Patients Living With Diabetes Mellitus Type Two: A Pilot Study

This study aims to determine whether providing language and culturally appropriate cooking classes to Chinese Canadian individuals with diabetes will help to improve their diabetes control, knowledge and self care activities. The control group will receive current standard care of two diabetes education classes led by the dietitian and nurse. The intervention group will receive standard care and a series of four interactive cooking classes led by a dietitian, nurse and chef. We will compare the results of blood work, knowledge and self care questionnaires between the two groups to determine whether there are any benefits to attending these cooking classes.

This is a study attempting to investigate whether a cooking class intervention will lead to improved glycemic control in Chinese-Canadian people in the community of Richmond, British Columbia. By providing culturally appropriate cooking classes, tailored to Chinese foods, culture and population, we will be able to address specific challenges that affect ethnic Chinese patients with diabetes living in Canada. This innovative program would serve to meet a need that is currently unmet in the community, by providing a hands-on opportunity for participants to try different foods, learn various culturally appropriate recipes, prepare meals together and learn how the foods being eaten affects blood glucose. These classes would also serve as an avenue to reinforce various diabetes self-management activities - including self-monitoring of blood glucose and the effects of physical activity. Also, participants may benefit from peer support and the sharing of experiences and advice with each other. Through this research study, we hope to demonstrate improved diabetes knowledge, self-care management and glycemic control for patients who attend the cooking classes.

The addition of diabetes cooking educational classes to standard diabetes education classes. Cooking classes are a series of four, four-hour sessions. These cooking classes will be led by a registered dietitian, a registered nurse and a chinese chef. Conducted in Mandarin or Cantonese. The cooking education focus is culturally specific teaching for Chinese-Canadian persons living with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes educational classes, consisting of two sessions, one week apart, four-hour classes. These classes are taught by a registered dietitian and nurse, in Mandarin or Cantonese.

Series of four, four-hour cooking classes, occurring monthly for four months. Each of the cooking classes in the series will have diabetes self-management learning objectives: food choices, meal planning and preparation, portion control, self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and physical activity.

Series of two, four-hour diabetes education classes, occurring weekly for two weeks. Each class is run by a registered dietitian and nurse, trained as clinical diabetes educators, as per standards of the canadian diabetes association. Classes include focused teaching of the background of diabetes, dietary recommendations for diabetes, lifestyle recommendations for diabetes, medications for diabetes, and general standard of living recommended for diabetes mellitus type 2.

Inclusion Criteria: Enrolled in Type 2 Diabetes Education class in Mandarin or Cantonese at the Richmond Hospital Diabetes Education Centre. Ability to understand and participate in all scheduled diabetes education classes and/or cooking classes; Ability to complete the study questionnaires and standard of care glycemic bloodwork Prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type 2 Persons who identify as chinese-canadian Exclusion Criteria for this study includes: Inability to provide informed consent; Planned changes to diabetes medications during the study period, for example insulin titrations or oral medication adjustments; Currently enrolled in another study involving interventions related to diabetes care and management

Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Mitchell S, Sahye-Pudaruth S, Blanco Mejia S, Chiavaroli L, Mirrahimi A, Ireland C, Bashyam B, Vidgen E, de Souza RJ, Sievenpiper JL, Coveney J, Leiter LA, Josse RG. Effect of legumes as part of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Nov 26;172(21):1653-60. doi: 10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.70.

Chan YM, Molassiotis A. The relationship between diabetes knowledge and compliance among Chinese with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Hong Kong. J Adv Nurs. 1999 Aug;30(2):431-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2648.1999.01098.x.

Toobert DJ, Hampson SE, Glasgow RE. The summary of diabetes self-care activities measure: results from 7 studies and a revised scale. Diabetes Care. 2000 Jul;23(7):943-50. doi: 10.2337/diacare.23.7.943.

Yin Xu, Savage C, Toobert D, Wei Pan, Whitmer K. Adaptation and testing of instruments to measure diabetes self-management in people with type 2 diabetes in mainland China. J Transcult Nurs. 2008 Jul;19(3):234-42. doi: 10.1177/1043659608319239.

Fitzgerald JT, Funnell MM, Hess GE, Barr PA, Anderson RM, Hiss RG, Davis WK. The reliability and validity of a brief diabetes knowledge test. Diabetes Care. 1998 May;21(5):706-10. doi: 10.2337/diacare.21.5.706.

Fitzgerald JT, Funnell MM, Anderson RM, Nwankwo R, Stansfield RB, Piatt GA. Validation of the Revised Brief Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT2). Diabetes Educ. 2016 Apr;42(2):178-87. doi: 10.1177/0145721715624968. Epub 2016 Jan 14.