Center for Civic Partnerships

Diabetes Education

Diabetes is a metabolism disorder affecting approximately 17 million Americans – though nearly 1/3 are unaware of their condition. Each year, about 1 million people aged 20 or older are diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body and is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Although anyone can be affected by diabetes, it is most common in older people, overweight and sedentary people, African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Due to population growth and an increasingly older, sedentary and overweight nation, the prevalence of diabetes in the United States is likely to increase. According to recent estimates, diabetes is predicted to effect almost 10 percent of the American population by 2025. Research suggests that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes could sharply lower their chances of developing the disease through diet and exercise (Source: The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/dmover/dmover.htm#scope). To help address diabetes in your area, partner with other groups to educate your community. Below are some tips and resources to begin.

Increase awareness of diabetes through employer sponsored education programs. Host a work-site lunch seminar on diabetes and distribute educational materials to employees. Provide healthy snacks during the seminar.
Distribute free multilingual media and community campaign materials to local newspapers, radio and television stations, community-based organizations and businesses.
Sponsor an event or program series during American Diabetes Month each November. For example, organize an "Ask the Pharmacist" day on diabetes or start a mall-walkers program for senior citizens.
Control diabetes with healthy foods and fun. Consider hosting a community potluck featuring nutritious foods and recipes for diabetics and encourage restaurants to add a diabetes-healthy selection to the menu.
Play Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) or diabetes awareness videos in your waiting room or lobby.

Online Tools and Resources

American Association of Diabetes Educators
www.aadenet.org
Services for diabetes educators. Includes information about upcoming grant opportunities, abstracts of diabetes related research, current legislative issues related to diabetes, abstracts from The Diabetes Educator and continuing education opportunities, including on-line courses.

American Diabetes Association
www.diabetes.org
Provides diabetes research information and advocacy, basic information for understanding and treating diabetes, guidelines for healthy living and a section specifically for health professionals with links to clinical trials, upcoming events, journal articles and research. Features a new daily recipe.

BD Diabetes
www.bd.com/diabetes/hospital/educmaterial.html?3
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) offers free, downloadable diabetes educational materials, including animated and narrated demonstrations of mixing and injecting insulin. Health care professionals may also order free diabetes BD Getting Started™ Take Home Kits to teach basic survival skills to a person new to insulin therapy. The kit contains syringes, lancets, alcohol swabs, glucose tablets, personal care card, BD products coupons, and step-by-step instruction literature. The site also offers basic information about diabetes, treatment, products and a free e-newsletter.

California Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
www.caldiabetes.org

Center for Disease Control and Prevention-Diabetes Public Health Resources
www.cdc.gov/diabetes
The CDC's webpage on diabetes contains information about projects and programs throughout the U.S., English and Spanish outreach and educational materials – including clip art, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), policy and legislative information and related links.

Diabetes Educational Services
www.diabetesed.net/
This professional education site provides preparation for diabetes educator certification, tools to assess both in patient and out patient diabetes programs and some free resources for diabetes educators.

The Diabetes Mall
www.diabetesnet.com
Targeting the general public, this website provides a variety of information about diabetes, latest advances in treatment, publications, outreach and educational materials and related links.

Diabetes Monitor
http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/index.htm
This site tracks diabetes information on the Internet. Provides links to online resources about various aspects of diabetes care, publications, educational/outreach materials and supplies. Includes links to multilingual sites and homepages, posted questions and answers by professional diabetes health care team, scheduled and open chats and a special section for children with diabetes.

Diabetes at Work
www.diabetesatwok.org/
This site provides useful resources for helping businesses bring diabetes education and awareness into the workplace including planning guides and lesson plans for developing health education programs, assessment tools and fact sheets. You may also link to other resources, including publications by National Diabetes Education Program at www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep/index.htm.

Doctor's Guide
www.pslgroup.com/DIABETES.htm
Contains information on the latest medical news for patients or families of patients diagnosed with diabetes. Includes links to discussion groups and other diabetes related websites.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
www.jdf.org
Support and information resources for children and parents with children who have diabetes. Youth can post ideas, learn about successful adults living with diabetes and access age-appropriate articles for ages 6 – 17.

Joslin's Online Diabetes Library
www.joslin.org/education/library/index.shtml
Provides information on various aspects of diabetes, free on-line classes, publications, related multi-cultural links and a discussion board. Includes a section designed especially for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans dealing with diabetes and links to Spanish language information.

Kaiser Permanente, Community Wellness Library
www.kpwellness.org
Offers free diabetes self-management videos, some in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Medscape
http://www.medscape.com/home
Offers the latest diabetes news and research for health care professionals, patients and families of those with diabetes.

MEDLINE plus Health Information, a service of the National Library of Medicine
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html
Provides the latest news, research and resources on diabetes, for professionals and the public. Includes links to interactive, multilingual and easy-to-read patient education materials.

Mind Connection
www.mindconnection.com/library/health/diabetes.htm
Information, links, books and videos on diabetes prevention.

National Diabetes Education Program
http://ndep.nih.gov/control/control.htm
Offers a variety of materials in Spanish and English for diabetes awareness, outreach and education. Up to 25 copies of most publications are available free of charge; some available for download in PDF format. Free English and multilingual media kits designed for general and specific cultural groups (e.g. Latinos, African-Americans, American-Indians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders) also available.

National Eye Institute
http://www.nei.nih.gov/
Offers information and resources for National Diabetes Month in English and Spanish, including media, outreach and educational materials on diabetic eye disease. Contains a resource directory, reproducible artwork, handouts, an activity guide for planning diabetes education programs and public service announcements for print and radio.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease
www.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm
Contains health information for the public and professionals, including the latest diabetes awareness campaigns, news, research and funding resources. Offers easy-to-read publications for patients in English, Spanish and some Asian languages. Also home to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse and hosts the Diabetes Dictionary at www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/dmdict/dmdict.htm.

Stanford Health Library
www-med.stanford.edu/healthlibrary
Links to health websites and information about diabetes can be accessed in the Endocrine System section of “Diseases and Disorders” at: http://healthlibrary.stanford.edu/resources/internet/bodysystems/endocrine_diabetes.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
www.os.dhhs.gov
A searchable database on health topics including diabetes. Includes reference collections, information about funding and clinical trials and health care provider locators.

Diabetes Education

Online Tools and Resources

Suggested Reading