A disproportionate number of African American women are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes due to the significant escalation of overweight and obesity among this population group. The greatest opportunity in addressing the personal and societal burden of type 2 diabetes is to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. There is consistent evidence that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed in high risk groups such as African American women through lifestyle intervention. Primary care is an ideal setting to screen at-risk patients and implement such an intervention program. Nurse practitioners are at the forefront of preventive care due to their expertise in counseling, health education, and case management. Thus nurse practitioners can play an effective role in facilitating lifestyle interventions. This review was published in the UPNAAI Nursing Journal. The next step in this project will be to seek funding for a pilot study to test a lifestyle intervention.
