Date of Award

2026-05-01

Degree Name

Master of Public Health

Department

Public Health

Advisor(s)

Jeannie B. Concha

Abstract

Background: Hispanic populations in the US experience higher diabetes prevalence, yet Hispanic men participate in traditional diabetes education programs at lower rates than non-Hispanic White men and Hispanic women, in part because existing programs lack cultural and gender-relevant tailoring. To address this disparity, the Diabetes Garage (DG) program was developed for Hispanic men in Southwest Texas, leveraging car culture by using automotive maintenance analogies to illustrate diabetes self-management concepts to engage men. Purpose: To evaluate participant satisfaction with the DG program among cohorts participating across three predominantly Hispanic communities and to examine their personal opinions on their program experience. Methods: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of 224 men from El Paso, Harlingen, and San Antonio, Texas. A mixed-methods post-program assessment was used, incorporating quantitative satisfaction survey data and qualitative open-ended responses from 27 DG cohorts (2020-2024). Participant satisfaction was analyzed with respect to prior participation in diabetes programs, instructor, and language of program delivery using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Spearman's rho to examine the relationship between satisfaction and income and education levels. Qualitative responses were analyzed using the Rigorous and Accelerated Data Reduction (RADaR) technique, followed by inductive interpretive analysis and triangulation to enhance credibility and identify themes across responses, which were then categorized using final codes based on emergent patterns. Results: (Quantitative) Participants reported high satisfaction across all three satisfaction measures. The 7-Item Index M = 24.07 (SD = 5.54), 2-Item Index M = 7.13 (SD = 1.31), and 1-Item Satisfaction Question M = 3.62 (SD = .78) all reflected consistent positive evaluations of the DG program. Further descriptive analysis indicate that most participants reported "agree" or "strongly agree" across all satisfaction items, with the highest endorsement observed for "workshops taught me new information about diabetes" (96%). These findings indicate that the workshops effectively enhanced participants' diabetes knowledge, with satisfaction remaining high across language groups, 90.5% of English-language participants reported they would recommend the workshops. Education and income were positively correlated. (Qualitative) Qualitative analysis of participant feedback identified seven major themes: 1) gratitude with sub-theme empowerment, 2) increased knowledge, 3) professionalism with sub-theme knowledge of instructor, 4) program quality with sub-theme logistics/content delivery, 5) praise, 6) recommendations/suggestions for program structure with sub-theme schedule/interactiveness, and 7) program shortcomings with sub-themes length and content expectations. While most responses were positive, participants also provided neutral and critical feedback, particularly related to program delivery and structure. Conclusion: After participation in the DG program, most participants expressed satisfaction with the quality of the program, the instructors, and the content, which helped them gain knowledge about diabetes and how to manage their condition. Culturally tailored, interest-based diabetes education programs may enhance engagement and satisfaction among Hispanic men. Recommendations: Future studies should examine the long-term effects of diabetes education workshops on behavioral changes and clinical indicators such as glycemic control and other metabolic outcomes. Additionally, studies exploring the effectiveness of tailored educational interventions should explore strategies to enhance interactivity and engagement, as these elements may contribute to improved program outcomes.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

91 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Elida Herrera

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