New York University School of Medicine, in collaboration with five community service organizations, announced on May 2 that they will be launching a diabetes prevention program for the Chinese community. Currently, they are recruiting Chinese participants aged 18 to 70 who are interested in losing weight or learning more about diabetes prevention, especially residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Dr. Lu Hu, the lead of the project, introduced the purpose and significance of this initiative. Studies have shown that in the New York area, one out of every two Chinese individuals either has diabetes or is in a pre-diabetic stage. Research has indicated that diabetes can be prevented by modifying diet, increasing physical activity, and losing weight. In the United States, existing diabetes prevention programs are conducted in English and are based on American culture and dietary habits. Due to language barriers, dietary preferences, lack of health insurance, and other challenges, Chinese individuals find it difficult to participate in the current diabetes prevention programs.
Therefore, Dr. Lu Hu’s team has specifically tailored a diabetes prevention program for the Chinese community, aiming to provide educational videos on diabetes prevention and free fresh vegetables to high-risk Chinese individuals for diabetes. Additionally, a comparative study will be conducted.
The research team is currently recruiting 75 participants to start the research project in August. This prevention program is designed to assist individuals aged 18 to 70 who are interested in weight loss or learning about diabetes prevention to lose weight within six months and improve their eating habits and physical activity.
The event is free and open to eligible Chinese participants. Participants will receive free diabetes prevention health education videos, 10 weeks of fresh vegetables, and a $75 gift card upon completion of the program. The recruitment activities for project participants are ongoing. For more information on recruitment, interested individuals can contact Dr. Lu Hu at 347-380-2416 or 929-837-8863, or register on-site at the five collaborating organizations supporting the project: Alzheimer’s Care Services, Focused Medical, Pine Community Services, Brooklyn Chinese-American Association, and New York Parental Mutual Aid Association.