Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Dr. Cassandra Taylor

Abstract

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States with a projected increase of 552 million people worldwide who will be affected with this illness by 2030. The need to address this issue is vital to prevent complications and reduce healthcare spending. The DNP project is aimed at planning and designing a nutritional education program tailored toward specific ethnic groups in order to increase knowledge in making healthy food choices. This project is intended to educate Registered Nurses (RNs) on nutrition so that they can offer dietary knowledge to T2DM patients. Additional patients can be reached by educating the RNs rather than patients being limited to consultations with a Certified Diabetes Educator or Registered Dietician. This project focused on whether healthy nutrition tailored toward the individual's own ethnic foods helps to stabilize glycemic values for patients with Type 2 diabetes. A toolkit was utilized to aid with the RNs' learning on healthy nutrition and its impact on the management of blood glucose. It addressed areas such as food groups and calories, grocery shopping, preparation methods, and portion control. The framework for design utilized the basic concepts associated with the systems theory with an intended goal to prevent further complications and improve patients' glycemic value through consuming nutritious foods. The logic model will be used to evaluate the impact of healthy nutrition on blood glucose through pre- and post-program tests of the RNs' nutritional knowledge on healthy eating. The continuation of this program will promote positive social change by helping patients to achieve a healthier lifestyle and reduce healthcare expenditures.

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