Reaching Immigrants through Community Empowerment (Project RICE)

Project RICE was a five-year, community-driven initiative designed to develop, implement, and test a community health worker (CHW) program designed to promote diabetes prevention among Korean and South Asian American immigrants at risk for diabetes in New York City (NYC). Participants in the intervention arm received six educational group sessions over the course of 6 months, while control group participants received only the first session. Primary outcome measures included change in weight, change in body mass index (BMI), and change in hip-to-waist ratio measurements over 6-months. Eligible participants were Korean and South Asian immigrants between 18-75 years of age, identified as at risk for diabetes by a risk assessment, and willing to be randomizing into a treatment or control group.