More News

‘‘I had just recently been diagnosed for being diabetic, and I was anxious to see what I could do to be in charge of my own life,” Rhodes recalled about her first meeting two years ago.

The monthly club, co-sponsored by Montgomery County and the nonprofit African American Health Program, invites diabetics and the health-conscious chow down on a catered buffet of hearty meals centered on vegetables and whole grains, along with chicken and fish.

The aim is to provide ongoing education and introduce people to healthy foods they might not otherwise discover, said Linda Goldsholl, program manager with Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

‘‘It just keeps diabetes management in mind, it makes it less tedious, and you know of other people dealing with it as well,” Goldsholl said.

The program started three years ago in Rockville, but has blossomed to include sessions in Silver Spring and most recently at Goshen United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg.

There are plans to expand the clubs as interest grows from the about 60 total members, Goldsholl said.

The club can serve as a companion course for the self-management diabetes classes, which meet once a week, Herron said.

Though everyone is welcome, the program specifically targets African-Americans, who have a higher rate of diabetes, said Diane Herron, event coordinator and community outreach worker with The African American Health Program.

Diabetes is twice as common among African-Americans than whites, according to a June 2006 report by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to a 2004 CDC study of diabetes prevalence, 4.9 percent of whites had diabetes, 6.3 of African-Americans had diabetes and 6.9 of Hispanics had diabetes.

Dr. Jane Kelly, director of the CDC’s National Diabetes Educational Program, said the causes are multifaceted for increased diabetes among minorities.

In addition to ethnicity, other key risk factors include age, weight, sedentary lifestyle and family history, Kelly said.

‘‘Genetics isn’t destiny,” she said. ‘‘That’s only one piece of the puzzle. It’s also what you eat and what you do.”

Kelly applauded the dining club for offering a social outlet.

‘‘It’s hard to change behavior, and having a peer-to-peer support group, that’s tremendous,” she said.

Marie Jones-Jackson, of Rockville, said diabetes runs in her family, and that the information she learned at the club helps her manage the disease.

‘‘It’s helpful for adjusting the recipe for a person with diabetes,” she said. ‘‘Instead of having mashed potatoes or something of that sort, I’ll substitute it for rice.”

In addition to offering healthy dining alternatives, the club includes exercise alternatives such as square dancing, the cha-cha and belly dancing, Herron said.

Rhodes was so inspired by the belly dancing activity that she signed up for classes of it at the Rockville Senior Center, she said.

‘‘It’s much better now because there’s so much information out there for you,” Rhodes said of the club. ‘‘It isn’t hard to say ‘no’ now. When you go to a party or something, you have to be very selective in what you eat.”