ABOUT D.R.I.T.S.

The Roots

Southern culture includes family get togethers filled with traditional southern dishes that have been passed down for generations. Unfortunately, diabetes risk is also known to be rooted in cultural, environmental, and behavioral factors and runs rampant in what is known as the diabetes belt (Geiss et al., 2017, p.2). This belt includes the Mississippi Valley, Deep South, and Appalachian region (Geiss et al., 2017, p.2). The Appalachian region follows the Appalachian mountains stretching from northern Mississippi to southern New York (Carpenter & Theeke, 2018, p. 230). Other factors influencing diabetes prevalence include socioeconomic factors such as poverty, education, race/ethnicity, along with other risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity (Geiss et al., 2017, p. 5). D.R.I.T.S. ( Diabetics Raised in the South) aims to educate southern type 2 diabetics on better diabetes management to improve your health while maintaining your southern culture.