Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States today, and Hispanic Americans are especially hard hit by this illness. Hispanics are over 45% more likely to die from complications of diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are offering a new program to study ways to help Mexican-Americans with diabetes.

The program, called the MATCH Project, is currently enrolling Mexican-Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus who live in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. Participants in the study will receive information about diet, medications, physical activity, working with your doctor, and many other tips to help improve health. Participation in the program is free and completely voluntary.

"Diabetes is unique because it requires daily self-management in order to remain healthy," said Dr. Steven Rothschild, the principal investigator of the MATCH study at Rush. "The MATCH study hopes to identify new strategies that will close the health gap by helping Mexican-Americans become experts in their own diabetes care."

On average, Hispanics/Latinos are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. In fact, more than 10 percent of all Latino Americans ages 20 years or older have diabetes, and between the ages of 45 and 74, as many as 24 percent of Mexican Americans in the United States have diabetes. The group is also more likely to suffer from the complications of diabetes, such as kidney failure, heart disease, high blood pressure, and blindness, than non-Hispanic whites.

In addition to Rothschild, the study is led by an interdisciplinary team consisting of co-principal investigators Lynda Powell, PhD, a Rush epidemiologist, and Susan Swider, PhD, RN, from the Rush College of Nursing. Other Rush investigators include Molly Martin, MD, Susan Everson-Rose, PhD, and Kristin Flynn, PhD. The MATCH study is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, and will run for approximately four years at Rush University Medical Center. For more information, contact Janet Footlik, PhD, at (312) 942-3139.

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