North Carolina A&T State University

Achieving better health status in African American Males affected by Diabetes and Obesity

North Carolina A&T State University is the lead institution on the obesity/diabetes sub-project.  The overall goal of the sub-project is to use a community-based research approach to design translational research projects that provide education and appropriate interventions to improve diabetes disease outcomes in the African American community.  The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is related to nutrition and sedentary lifestyles, which promote obesity.  Diabetes is a multifaceted disease with chronic complications that include kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy), cardiovascular disease, and urinary tract infections (UTIs).  These three complications are highly prevalent among African American men.  The research has the following specific aims:

Aim 1:  To expand the collection and analysis of existing African American patient information from healthcare providers in North Carolina cities with large African American populations. 

Aim 2:  To promote Diabetes Prevention and Management Outreach for men in African American Communities. 

Aim 3:  To identify biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy in African American men with diabetes.

The outcomes from this study will enable the Center  to plan community outreach programs that are relevant in the North Carolina African American men population.

Key People

Investigators