When it comes to teaching Hispanics about diabetes, Janice Long, MS, RN, knows she is on a learning curve like her students.

In a small, cramped trailer that holds "about a dozen people," the Kennesaw State University assistant professor of nursing teaches free diabetes education classes twice a month to members of Cobb County's Hispanic community, which can range from Spanish-speaking Mexicans to non-Spanish speaking Mayans.

Classes are always filled, attracting those with diabetes and their families. Her students are first identified as having diabetes at the Ministries United for Service and Training health clinic and are referred to the class.

"There are many people who are aware of what diabetes is, but there are many who don't [know]. All they know is it has something to do with limiting sugar - they don't realize that it's part of a lifestyle change," Long said.

"The diabetes education class, which is taught in Spanish, strives to teach behavioral and lifestyle changes," with exercise and diet modifications.

Historically a clinic and information clearinghouse for the homeless operated by local churches, MUST has increasingly attracted the working poor, many of whom are members of the county's growing Hispanic community. Cobb County's Hispanic population grew 400 percent from 1990-2000, according to the U.S. Census.

With the incidence of diabetes twice that of non-Hispanic whites (more than 12 percent), the need for both preventive and diabetes control education was there, Long said.

"But we couldn't develop a program if we couldn't get to them," she said.

The MUST Ministries connection enables Long, with Dr. Astrid Rozo-Rivera, to have a steady stream of class participants. The program is funded through a 24-month grant from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation.

Reaching a diverse Hispanic community is a challenge for diabetes educators like Long. Besides Mexicans, among the other Hispanic groups identified in the county are Mayans, Puerto Ricans and Colombians.

"The Mayans, for example, speak 13 different dialects and don't even speak Spanish," Long said.

Most are fleeing from oppressive conditions in Guatemala and, although some receive political asylum, many are illegal immigrants, she said.

The program has identified a community of 3,000 Mayans in Canton, and will be bringing diabetes education to their local churches, tailoring the program to meet their needs.

"We really don't know what the incidence of diabetes is for Mayans, since many don't seek health care at all," Long said. "We do know that there is a problem with obesity among Mayan children, and diabetes usually follows high rates of obesity."

With more outreach diabetes education in their communities, Long and Rozo-Rivera will be able to collect more information about the prevalence of the disease in Mayans.

Other classes and screenings will be held at the Mexican consulate in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta. In addition to the classes, Kennesaw State is offering a course for diabetes educators to prepare them for a certification exam.

For information on diabetes education, contact Long at 770-423-6671, or go to the national diabetes education program Web site www.ndep.nih.gov.

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