Contact Info/Website: Dr. Mary Steinhardt ∙ msteinhardt@mail.utexas.edu ∙ (512) 232 3535.

Mission/Description:  Dr. Steinhardt has designed interventions for African Americans in the East Austin area in order to promote healthy lifestyle decisions and improve their conditions.

Background

“Dr. Mary Steinhardt is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin, and Fellow in the Lee Hage Jamail Regents Chair in Education. She currently teaches a freshman leadership seminar, evaluation and research design, mind/body health, and theories of health behavior. She was the recipient of the First Annual Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award in the College of Education in 2002, the Texas Excellence Teaching Award given by the Texas Exes Student Association in 2003, and selected to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at The University of Texas in 2004. Dr. Steinhardt received the Robert Murff Excellence Award in 2007 for her outstanding support of career services.” [Source: http://www.utexas.edu/education/resilien...]

Click here for more information about Dr. Steinhardt.

Research

Background

Dr. Steinhardt uses resilience interventions to help African Americans in East Austin more effectively manage type 2 diabetes. Her work focuses on managing stress more effectively with the hope that better management will help participants make healthier lifestyle choices.

Study

The study has been running for 2 years at Olivet Baptist Church. Dr. Steinhardt completed 2 pilot interventions which consisted of 4 weekly class sessions devoted to education and self-management and 8 biweekly support group meetings. 12 individuals, 6 men and 6 women, completed the program.

Methods

The Diabetes Coaching Program (DCP) consists of both psychological and physiological measures. The psychosocial measurements are resilience, coping strategies, diabetes empowerment, perceived stress, depressive symptoms and diabetes self-management. The physiological measures taken are BMI, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c[1], lipidemia and blood pressure. Measurements for each of these variables were taken before the study and 6 months after entry into the study.

In addition, there is a spiritual component to this study. In support groups the study participants check-in and discuss how they feel, what they need, etc. The groups eat breakfast together, take a walk together, pray and then adjourn. Support groups are important because people experiencing the difficulties of diabetes respond better when someone from their own community can speak about their experience and guide others, almost like a mentor program. The individuals from the first intervention were mentors to the second intervention’s participants.

Results

The tests indicated significant improvements in the following variables:

• Diabetes empowerment
• Diabetes self-management
• BMI
• HbA1c
• Total cholesterol
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
• Blood pressure

The test indicated medium to large effects in the following variables: (Changes were not statistically significant.)

• Resilience
• Perceived stress
• Fasting blood glucose
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Overall the study was successful. The participants, as a result, are managing type 2 diabetes more effectively. The social support helps the group the most in terms of individuals identifying their own habits, fears and enablers and really taking more responsibility for their condition. The spiritual component, according to Dr. Steinhardt, changes participants thought processes, gives them power and allows them to connect with other people.

Partners

Dr. Mary Steinhardt works with individuals at Olivet Baptist Church in East Austin for her resilience program. She also works with the Family Wellness Center’s Dr. DuBois and Dr. Doggett.

Highlights

Many of the individuals in the support groups have come out of their shells and empowered others by their efforts and their honesty. Some examples of these individuals and the moments that they really impacted the lives of others in their group are below.

• One of the participants, a security guard blind in one eye, drinks a lot of Coke. Another group member suggested switching to diet Coke and they realized that their blood sugar decreased significantly. They then became a support system for each other.
• One of the group members mentioned above decided to become more active and went to Curves, a fitness club for women. Her sister was also in the group and she inspired both her sister and the group to become more active because she lost weight and improved her health.
• There was a nurse in one of the support groups that happened to be afraid to prick her finger. She had the courage to share this with the group. This was empowering both to her and to the group.
• One gentleman told a story when the nurse told her story about the fear she had when pricking her finger at a dinner that Dr. Steinhardt treated the group to at the UT Club. The gentleman voiced that he used to think pricking your finger was the big event, but he now knows that living is the main event. The group then made wrist bands with the saying, “stick with it FOR LIFE.”

Future

Dr. Steinhardt’s long term goal is to develop a participant manual and facilitator guide so community members, who she finds one of the most impactful components of her program, can teach and empower support groups.

For more information on Dr. Mary Steinhardt please click here or search for her at www.utexas.edu.

Contact Info/Website:  Dr. Jensen ∙bjensen@mail.nur.utexas.edu ∙ Dr. Acton ∙ gayle.acton@mail.utexas.edu.

Mission/Description:  Dr. Acton and Dr. Jensen study caregivers and have designed and implemented interventions for caregivers to improve their health. 

Background

Dr. Betty Jensen met with me to discuss a pilot study under the direction of principal investigator Dr. Gayle Acton. “Health Promotion Interventions for Hispanic Family Caregivers” is an ongoing project that has existed since 2005.The purpose of the pilot study is to help caregivers learn to care for themselves and remain healthy in order to have the ability to effectively and positively care for those they are caring for. All materials are available to English and Spanish speakers.

Research

Background

This particular pilot study was first funded by CHPR and is now seeking additional funding. They have had several groups all around Texas in the cities of Laredo, Corpus Christi, Austin and San Antonio. The investigators would like to focus on the Hispanic population and provide culturally sensitive interventions for this underserved population. The study utilizes intervention as a tool to promote health for the caregivers. These interventions are focused in four areas. They are:

• Stress management
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Exercise

Study

The ultimate goal of this pilot study involving the health of caregivers is to teach the individuals that take care of others to take of themselves. The research team hopes to gather enough preliminary data from the pilot studies to implement the intervention on a larger scale.

There have been favorable results. The project uses scales or charts to determine if their work is effective and improving the health of caregivers. The scales are:

• Health promotions activities
• Self efficacy
• Sleep quality
• Barriers to health promotion

All scales have moved in the appropriate direction. For example, health promotions activities have increased and barriers to health promotion have decreased.

Methods

The health promotion intervention for caregivers recruits participants from caregivers support groups, daycare facilities, churches, flyers, etc.

Each participant receives a notebook divided into four sections: stress management, nutrition, exercise and sleep. These notebooks contain all the information that will be taught during sessions and can be used as a reference tool. Participants meet once a week for two hours, four times. During this meeting, each module, one of the four sections, is reviewed. Sometimes the group performs exercise routines. These exercises can be aerobic, strengthening or even stress management routines.

In addition to the educational information in the notebooks, nutritional information is relayed via practical application. For example, sample foods are brought in to teach participants to read food labels. Throughout the entire process and with all of the materials utilized in this project, the researchers strive to be culturally sensitive and to address the concerns of the participants.

Partners

In addition to CHPR, the Health Promotion Interventions for Hispanic Family Caregivers research project has worked with Austin Groups for the Elderly (AGE) and the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter.   AGE and several churches in the Austin area have provided day care facilities so that caregivers can be free to come to the module sessions.

Understanding Caregivers

Dr. Jensen has found that there is a lot of guilt associated with care giving. Caregivers have a difficult time doing things to care for themselves. They feel like they must be with the individual being cared for all the time. If you can imagine, this is very difficult.

The reality that researchers would like to get across is that it is far better and healthier to care of yourself, not only for your own well being but for the well being of the individual you’re caring for. When people hear this, there is a huge weight lifted from their shoulders!

Future

The Health Promotion Interventions for Hispanic Family Caregivers research project will continue to provide interventions for caregivers and hopes that the improvements they have made in the lives of caregivers thus far will help them attain funding to help others.

For more information on the Health Promotion Interventions for Hispanic Family Caregivers research, please contact Dr. Acton or Dr. Jensen.

Contact Info/Website:   Mike Mackert: mackert@mail.utexas.edu∙  Diane Tyler: dtyler@mail.utexas.edu∙   LeeAnn Kahlor: kahlor@mail.utexas.edu.

Mission/Description: Researchers from the Department of Advertising and the School of Nursing have joined together in an interdisciplinary effort to develop e-Health material for families. [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website:   Mary Moran∙ mmoran@mail.nur.utexas.edu ∙ (512) 386-3335.

Mission/Description: The CWC’s goal is to provide excellence in the delivery of holistic health care to children in the Del Valle Independent School District. The Center also focuses on nursing research and clinical practice.

Opportunities/Needs:   Volunteers∙ Internships∙ Interested in expanding and serving more people [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.wondersandworries.org ∙ (512) 329-5757

Mission/Description: Wonders and Worries is a program that strives to ensure that all children impacted by their adult loved one’s serious illness receive the support they need free of charge.

Opportunities/Needs:   Volunteers ∙ Interested in expanding and serving more [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.utexas.edu/nursing/fachome/ht… ∙ sabrown@mail.utexas.edu ∙ 512 232-4704.

Mission/Description: Dr. Sharon Brown conducts interventions for the Mexican American population in Starr County  with type 2 diabetes. [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/faculty/Ha…  haley at psy.utexas.edu ∙ 512 232-0863.

Mission/Description: Dr. Andreana Haley, a neuropsychologist, studies age and disease related cognitive disorders. [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/austin/ ∙ AustinRegionalCampus@uth.tmc.edu ∙ (512) 482- 6160

Mission/Description: The Austin Regional Campus of the UT School of Public Health is one of 6 total campuses in the state of Texas. The main school is located in Houston. The School works with the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living on prevention and control of childhood obesity.

Opportunities/Needs:   New student recruitment ∙ Research [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.utexas.edu/nursing/fachome/ht…  emclinge at yahoo.com ∙ 512 471-8361

Mission/Description: Dr. Clingerman works with migrant farm workers in the Rio Grande Valley and the Great Lakes region. She currently studies stress and the effect stress has on the health of the migrant farm workers. [Read more →]

Contact Info/Website: http://www.utexas.edu/opa/experts/profile.php?id=791 ∙ htanaka@mail.utexas.edu ∙ (512) 232-4801

Mission/Description: Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka is the director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory. He studies the effects of aging and exercise on cardiovascular function and disease. [Read more →]