A Diabetes Scotland initiative: Diabetes and Me - diabetes support through community engagement

Abstract

The Diabetes and Me project was initiated in 2012 to address Diabetes Scotland’s commitment to support people from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups to live well with diabetes. The project was the first of its kind for Diabetes Scotland, using three different models of community engagement with South Asian communities to raise public awareness on diabetes, provide focussed and tailored support sessions led by trained volunteers, and work collaboratively with local service providers. The project reached over 3000 people in 24 months and, in 2014, Diabetes and Me won the Quality in Care Diabetes award for the best initiative to support quality of care in “hard-to-reach” groups. This paper describes the models of community engagement used to provide diabetes support for South Asians living in Glasgow and describes key outcomes and practical messages for future community engagement among BAME groups.