Curtis Smith was diagnosed with diabetes in the early 1980s. “I’ve always struggled with weight problems and high blood pressure, and I had some nutrition counseling offered through my doctor’s office, but I was never very successful,” said the 66-year-old retired teacher from Newark. Any weight loss he achieved would gradually creep back.

Then, in 2005, Smith heard of a diabetes-focused nutrition class offered by the Licking County office of Ohio State University Extension.

“I liked the cooking demonstrations, the give-and-take — I find that kind of exchange very helpful,” he said. The program, “Dining with Diabetes,” is offered by Family and Consumer Sciences Educator Shari Gallup. The three-part series combines nutrition information with practical guidance on preparing foods and reading labels.

Since 2004, Gallup has offered the series 15 times, with a total of 503 local residents participating in the 45 classes. Smith is a fan. Since taking the class, “I’m down 18 pounds, my blood sugar and cholesterol have been very, very good, and my blood pressure has come down.” 

An estimated 800,000 Ohioans have diabetes, costing the state $9.4 billion annually. Nationwide, diabetes-related costs are estimated at $132 billion — one of every 10 health-care dollars goes to treating diabetes and its complications.

To offer the classes, Family and Consumer Sciences educators must partner with a registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator. “We do the basic nutrition education and food preparation, and they cover the health aspects,” said Cindy Oliveri, Family and Consumer Sciences specialist with the OSU Extension Center at Piketon. Team members take curriculum training together — so far, 60 Ohio counties have formed teams, with 40 offering classes.

At a Licking County “reunion” session in late 2005, Gallup asked participants to report results: 44 percent reported controlling portion sizes; 18 percent lost weight; 16 percent improved their blood sugar levels; and 11 percent had lower blood pressure.

In Cuyahoga County, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator Marisa Warrix teams with Maryann Nicolay of the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland. “We get more requests than we can accommodate,” Nicolay said. Since 2005, special funding from several partners has sponsored classes in low-income, high-risk areas.
“Participants really appreciate tasting the foods,” Warrix said. “It’s like they never believed they could learn to prepare healthy foods that taste this good. This program seems to be able to convince people they really can succeed.”

Nicolay credits a casual group dynamic: “Participants have so much fun, half the time they don’t even realize they’re learning something. But you can see the light bulbs going on.”