An e-health intervention for increasing diabetes knowledge in African Americans.

An evidence-based e-health program, e Care We Care, was developed to disseminate information on diabetes management through web-based interactive tutorials. This study examined the effect of the e Care We Care program on diabetes knowledge development in African American adults with low diabetes literacy. Forty-six African American adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and low diabetes literacy were recruited from two health-care centres in eastern Winston Salem, North Carolina. The e Care We Care program included four weekly sessions: introduction to diabetes; eye complications; foot care; and meal planning. Significant differences in scores on the diabetes knowledge survey were demonstrated between the e Care We Care program participants and the comparison group. Study findings indicate the e Care We Care program is more effective in improving diabetes knowledge of African American adults with low diabetes literacy than paper-based, text-only tutorials. The e Care We Care program can be an effective educational strategy for improving diabetes knowledge and decreasing diabetes disparities among African American adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]