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Program Update Summer 2009

Vol. 10, No. 2

NDEP Launches Redesigned Website

NDEP recently launched its redesigned website, www.YourDiabetesInfo.org! The redesign was based on formal usability testing and partner feedback. The new user-friendly easy-to-navigate site allows partners to quickly find free diabetes resources and information on the partner activities.

NDEP encourages you to promote the newly redesigned website to your organization, partners, and people with and at risk for diabetes. Remember to utilize NDEP’s new promotional items such the web banner, flyer, and press release, which can be downloaded from the Resources page, to help you continue to promote the site. Also, please check and/or update any existing links to the NDEP website on your organization’s website as necessary. To download these promotional items, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/resources.

New and improved features include:

• Four entrance portals: “I Have Diabetes*,” “Am I at Risk?*,” “Health Care Professionals, Businesses & Schools,” and “Partners & Community Organizations;”
• A new Partners section on the homepage;
• A new, sortable list of publications*,
• A new Resources tab (formerly titled Campaign Tools); and
• Two new tabs: “Find Publications for Me” and “Diabetes Topics.”

*These sections of the website are also available in Spanish.

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A Message from Our Chair

I am honored and humbled to accept the role of chair of the NDEP Executive and Coordinating Committees. I have great admiration for my predecessors—Fran Kaufman, Larry Blonde, Jim Gavin, and Charlie Clark—and I am committed to doing my part to ensure that NDEP continues to deliver high-quality, high-impact programs and materials.

Helping people live more effectively with diabetes is the passion that I bring to NDEP. I never knew the grandfather my family spoke of so fondly— he passed away before I was born due to an early death from type 2 diabetes complications. Thus, I began my diabetes education at a very young age. What I learned from my family then and continue to learn about today is that we (health care professionals) play a very small role in the day-to-day diabetes management. Our patients—through the many decisions they make every day—are largely in control of their own health outcomes. My professional efforts have been a commitment to the development, evaluation, and dissemination of educational programs in patient empowerment; collaborative approaches to diabetes care and education; culturally specific interventions; and the development of patient education curricula. I am also committed to sharing knowledge and privileged to work at the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) at the university of Michigan Health System. The Michigan DRTC is one of only seven National Institutes of Health recognized DRTCs in the United States funded to conduct innovative research and to share it across the diabetes community.

Living with diabetes can be difficult and frustrating. In spite of what we know about diabetes and the interventions that we have, the personal and health care burden of diabetes continues to rise. As a result, there are dissatisfied health care professionals and frustrated patients. The promise of diabetes care truly has not been realized.

To address this, we need to shift our focus so that we can better understand our patients’ perspectives and provide them with tools that can support their self-management efforts. We must stop telling them what to do and begin to do a much better job of showing them how to make changes. In turn, we need to better understand the health care professional’s perspective and guide them toward effective strategies to better support their patients.

This shift in focus is the goal of NDEP ’s emerging effort to address psychosocial issues and support behavior change. Over the last year, a small and committed subcommittee has reviewed hundreds of coping and behavior change tools, programs, and research articles in order to identify relevant ones to share. We didn’t want to invest in creating tools if they already existed—and I am happy to report that they do. Plans are underway to share these tools with patients, health professionals, and partners via the NDEP website. You’ll see and hear much more about this initiative in the next year.

NDEP’s successes have come from you—our partners. Our success going forward to share information about how to live more peacefully and effectively with diabetes that are at the core of better outcomes depends on your continued help. I pledge my continued support and participation in our partnership effort to change the way diabetes is managed.

Martha Funnell, M.S., R.N., C.D.E.
Chair, National Diabetes Education Program

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Promote New Messages for Control Your Diabetes. For Life. Campaign with the Partner Toolkit

In November 2009 as part of National Diabetes Awareness Month, NDEP will introduce new Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign messages that communicate the seriousness of diabetes. Based on the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Follow-Up Study, the messages emphasize the importance of managing the disease—particularly in the early years after diagnosis—to prevent or delay complications.

Campaign messages were tested during 10 focus groups with high-risk populations. Participants chose messages of empathy and empowerment, “Managing diabetes is not easy, but it’s worth it” and “I made a plan. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. So can you.” The campaign posters feature real people from across the country who are taking steps to manage their diabetes. Following recommendations from NDEP partners, participants were chosen based on age, gender, ethnicity, and geographic diversity. Volunteers who were not selected for the posters may be featured in future campaign elements, such as website promotions, podcasts, and feature articles.

NDEP has mailed partners a CD kit with various tools to help you implement the new campaign messages. Partners received materials in English and Spanish including posters, a customizable press release, live-read radio PSA, fact sheet, feature article, e-newsletter blurb, and tips and talking points for the media.

NDEP encourages you to promote the new messages beginning in November and beyond.

With many voices echoing a single message, we can reach the millions of people with diabetes and their caregivers. To request a CD kit, contact Rachel Byrd at rbyrd@hagersharp.com.

Suggestions for Using CD Kit Materials

• Customize the posters for your organization by changing the photograph to one featuring a local person with diabetes, translating the copy into another language, and/or adding your logo and contact information.
• Tailor the news release to promote National diabetes Awareness month activities and to highlight your partnership with NDEP. Submit it to local newspapers, tv, and radio stations.
• Promote the feature article to local media and to your partners.
• Add the e-newsletter blurb to your professional listserve, e-newsletter, or share it with colleagues in the field.
• Post the web banner on your website and send it to your members for their websites and blogs.
• Send the ready-to-use print PSA ads with your organization’s logo added to your local newspaper, area magazines, or use them in your own newsletter. Send the PSAs to area churches to include in their bulletins.
• Invite a member of your diabetes community, a person with diabetes, or a local radio personality or celebrity to record the live-read radio PSA at a local radio station. Work with the station to run the ad for free or at a reduced rate.

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NDEP Work Group Leadership News

CDC Announces NDEP Director and Deputy Director

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is proud to announce that Judith McDivitt, Ph.D., has accepted the position of Director/Team Lead for NDEP at CDC. Jude stepped in as Acting NDEP Team Lead under a detail assignment in March. As Director, Jude shares the leadership responsibilities for the NDEP with her National Institutes of Health counterpart, Joanne Gallivan, M.S., R.D. Jude’s extensive experience in health communication, social marketing, and research and evaluation will help to advance the many accomplishments of the NDEP.

Also, Betsy Rodriguez, M.S.N., C.D.E., has accepted the position of Deputy Director for the NDEP at CDC. Betsy has served as the Acting Deputy Director for the past six months. She brings a wealth of NDEP experience and social marketing expertise to this role, and she has been an integral part of the NDEP’s many successes to date. Her recent efforts include leading the revision of the Más que comida, es vida. (It’s More Than Food. It’s Life.) English and Spanish recipe booklet and developing The Road to Health Toolkit.

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NDEP Work Groups Collaborate to Develop The Road to Health Toolkit for Community Health Workers

The Road to Health Toolkit, developed through collaboration between NDEP’s Hispanic/ Latino and African American/African Ancestry Work Groups, provides community health workers/promotores and others who work with populations at high risk for type 2 diabetes with interactive tools for counseling and motivating people to reduce their risk through making healthy food choices, increasing physical activity, and moderate weight loss.

The centerpiece of the toolkit is the tabletop flipchart, which uses the story-telling technique to effectively convey messages to the community. Supporting materials include the user’s guide, resource guide, and activities guide—which promote healthy behaviors—a photo journal, and several supporting CDs.

To order a copy of the toolkit, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org.

NDEP partners can use the interactive kit materials to:

• Identify the findings of the diabetes Prevention Program study;
• Discuss how to read nutrition labels to help participants identify healthier food choices;
• Identify tools that can be used to teach participants the concepts of portion size versus serving size and how to control portion sizes; and
• Explain the importance of physical activity and techniques to participants.

Earn CE Credits for The Road to Health Toolkit

Continuing education (CE) credits are being offered for reading the toolkit User's Guide, Flip Chart, and Activities Guide. For more information, visit www.Yourdiabetesinfo.org/publications/Publicationdetail.aspx?Pubid=152.

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Spreading the Word

NDEP Partners at Work

Because our partners play such a key role in our mission to promote, promote, promote, they also play a key role in our ability to measure NDEP’s reach by completing the Partner Activity Survey. NDEP would like to thank all the partners who participated in the winter 2009 edition of the survey. Here are just a few of the ways partners reported that they are promoting NDEP.

Work Group Members

• Jerry Franz of NDEP’s Older Adult Work Group planned and conducted a webinar in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. More than 50 representatives of local Area Agencies on Aging participated and learned about Medicare’s benefits for diabetes screening and how they could implement the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project in their organizations. As part of the webinar, NDEP prevention materials were highlighted.
• Betsy rodriguez, M.S.N., C.D.E., Deputy Director of NDEP at CDC, and Rosalba Ruiz-Holguin, M.D., M.P.H., chair of NDEP’s Hispanic/Latino Work Group, featured The Road to Health Toolkit at the 65th annual meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association. The meeting brought together more than 300 health care professionals from across the U.S.-Mexico border area from Tijuana-San Diego to Brownsville-Matamoros including doctors, nurses, community health workers, dentists, social workers, program managers and directors, researchers, faculty, students, health and diabetes educators, nutritionists, and psychologists. NDEP’s Movimiento Por Su Vida CD/DVD was also featured during the meeting. In addition, participants had questions regarding The Road to Health materials and requested kits. Many organizations showed interest in replicating the training.
• Dennis Frisch, D.P.M., vice chair of NDEP’s Pharmacy, Podiatry, Optometry & Dentistry Work Group, was interviewed by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle for an article that highlighted new neuropathy guidelines and discussed issues related to diagnosing the condition. The article mentioned NDEP as a resource and linked to the NDEP website, reaching nearly 155,000 readers in upstate New York.
• Mary Pat King, M.A. of NDEP’s Diabetes in Children & Adolescents Work Group co-branded NDEP’s Tips for Teens with Diabetes tip sheet series on healthy living and provided them to local American Diabetes Association (ADA) offices to distribute to their youth constituents. In addition, some staff distributed the co-branded tip sheets to schools as part of ADA’s school outreach program.
• Margaret Knight of NDEP’s American Indian & Alaska Native Work Group recently adapted NDEP’s messages into a Native American theater script contest promoting diabetes control and prevention.
• Carol Mallette, M.A., vice chair of NDEP’s African American/African Ancestry Work Group, promoted NDEP’s diabetes prevention and control messages and materials during National Diabetes Awareness Month in November. During a live radio talk show, Ms. Mallette and Marilyn Quarter, M.D., a pediatrician and medical director of a youth facility in Washington, D.C., shared diabetes information with callers. This popular radio show has the potential to reach an estimated 100,000 listeners per week.
• Cheryl Metheny, M.S., R.D./l.D.N., C.D.E., C.l.C. of NDEP’s Hispanic/Latino Work Group printed NDEP’s Be Smart About Your Heart. Control the ABCs of Diabetes. logo on swag bags and reusable grocery bags for distribution during the Black Barbershop Health Outreach and Real Men Cook programs in Chicago. Ink pens with the same logo were also distributed along with the Department of Health and Human Services’ statewide toll-free helpline to encourage participants to complete their registration and health history questionnaire.
• Melissa Stankus, M.P.A., chair of NDEP’s Business Health Strategies Work Group, promoted the DiabetesAtWork website during an interview for the October 2008 issue of Human Resource Executive, which has a circulation of more than 75,000.
• O. Fahina Tavake-Pasi, chair of NDEP’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Work Group, distributed NDEP’s translated and adapted materials in tongan to faith-based organizations, clinics, and hospitals.

State Diabetes Prevention and Control Programs (DPCPs)

During this year’s Centers for disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) division of diabetes translation (DDT) Conference, 10 DPCPs were awarded Frankies. Named in honor of the former director of the CDC/DDT, Frank Vinicor, M.D., M.P.H., the Frankie Awards are given to DPCPs for their innovative promotion of NDEP’s messages, campaigns, and resources. NDEP thanks the California, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming DPCPs for using a wide range of communication channels to reach a large number of people with NDEP’s messages. Here are a few highlights:

• In collaboration with the California office of Binational Border health and radio Bilingüe, the California DPCP conducted an awareness campaign to promote diabetes prevention among hispanics/latinos. Javier Carrillo, a California DPCP representative, Dean Schillinger, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, and two diabetes patients were guest speakers on Radio Bilingüe’s “Línea Abierta” show. During the interview, Mr. Carrillo promoted NDEP’s Más que comida, es vida campaign, Movimiento Por Su Vida CD/DVD, Paso a Paso public service announcement, and NDEP’s toll-free number. To listen to and continue to promote this Spanish-language interview, visit www.archivosderb.org/?q=es/node/2267.
• The Delaware DPCP coordinated the airing of NDEP’s “get real” 30-second tv public service announcement (PSA) on cable tv more than 4,800 times and on major networks more than 400 times.
• The Michigan DPCP partnered with community organizations to host an event that showcased a path on the ground lined and decorated with sneakers to represent the more than 200 diabetes-related amputations that occur daily. Participants were provided with NDEP’s diabetes control and prevention resources onsite as well as via mail.
• The New Jersey DPCP collaborated with a neighborhood community center, a local medical center, and the Philadelphia eagles National football league team to develop radio PSAs for National diabetes Awareness month. The PSAs, which aired during the eagles’ football games, encouraged people with diabetes to get a flu shot and highlighted NDEP’s Tips for Teens with Diabetes and It’s Never Too Late to Prevent Diabetes. Take Your First Step Today. tip sheets.
• The Wyoming DPCP showed its support of the international diabetes federation’s World Diabetes Day (WDD) initiatives by illuminating a famous monument with a blue light, the official WDD color. In addition, NDEP materials were highlighted and distributed throughout the state. To further commemorate the celebration, the governor of Wyoming signed an official proclamation marking November 14 as World diabetes day.

National Outreach Organizations

• Also during this year’s CDC/DDT Conference, the National Medical Association was awarded a frankie for promoting NDEP through its six coalitions, placing diabetes articles and NDEP print PSAs in its publication Healthy Living, and conducting outreach activities to the half million people in their database.
• The Black Women’s Health Imperative forwarded NDEP’s March 2009 News & Notes e-newsletter to more than 100 members of their diabetes project including site leaders, participants, and partners. They also distributed the Diabetes Prevention Education Project Leader’s Guide – adapted from NDEP’s Power to Prevent: A Family Lifestyle Approach to Diabetes Prevention – NDEP pens, bookmarks, Step by Step CD/DVDs, and New Beginnings: A Discussion for Living Well With Diabetes to 48 community health leader trainees in Charlotte and Huntsville, Alabama.

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Partner Spotlight

dLifeTV

dLifeTV, a network devoted to delivering practical lifestyle content to people with diabetes, aired NDEP’s Control Your Diabetes. For Life. TV public service announcement (PSA) “Puzzle” for three consecutive weeks in January, February, and March 2009. The PSAs aired during CNBC Sundays, reaching more than 3 million viewers. To watch and continue to promote NDEP’s “Puzzle” TV PSA, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/resources and click on the “Television PSAs” link.

Wisconsin Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

The Wisconsin Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) recently announced a new URL, www.WisconsinDiabetesInfo.org, similar to NDEP’s www.YourDiabetesInfo.org to show their support of NDEP initiatives. Their new URL links to the NDEP website and the DiabetesAtWork website. The Wisconsin DPCP also adapted NDEP’s radio PSA “Voices” to include their new URL. To date, the PSA has aired on more than 70 radio stations throughout the state. To listen to, download, and continue to promote “Voices” and other NDEP radio PSAs, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/resources and click on the “Radio PSAs” link.

Texas Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

The Texas DPCP launched The Road to Health Toolkit through their community-based program, which had 18 local partners represented. They utilized lesson plan materials and the format demonstrated during the April 2009 Division of Diabetes Translation Conference and focused their two-day training on using NDEP materials. A toolkit containing six printed and laminated posters was provided for each program.

A Job Well Done

NDEP’s Tips for Teens: Make Healthy Food Choices tip sheet has received a Bronze Award from the 2009 National Institutes of Health’s Plain Language Awards. In addition, Una llamada, un click, NDEP’s One Call, One Click Spanish-language radio public service announcement, received a Silver Award. These awards recognize the use of simple, easy-to-read language in government-authored documents.

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New and Noteworthy

New Podcast on Diabetes & Depression in Older Women

This new podcast provides up-to-date information about why older women should be aware of the link between diabetes and depression. To listen to the podcast and to learn more about how early treatment for depression can prevent diabetes complications, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s podcast webpage at www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=11419.
 

New Jonas Brothers Print & Radio PSAs

The award-winning band the Jonas Brothers and their mother, Denise Jonas, have teamed up with NDEP to appeal to young people with diabetes and their families to promote diabetes control in new print and radio public service announcements (PSAs). In one print PSA, Nick (who has type 1 diabetes), Kevin, and Joe are pictured along with the message that Kevin and Joe are supporting Nick as he manages his diabetes. Another print PSA was developed to alert parents of young people with diabetes to resources, and pictures Denise with Nick. In the radio PSA, the brothers share tips for coping with diabetes and encourage people to help their loved one manage the disease. All PSAs highlight NDEP as a resource. NDEP encourages partners to download the print PSAs and add them to any newsletter or publication, and to distribute the radio PSAs to local radio stations. To access the PSAs, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/resources.

Please note: NDEP’s permission to use these print and radio PSAs is limited. The radio spots expire March 31, 2010, and the print PSAs expire on June 1, 2010.

New Radio & Print PSAs Highlight Family History as a Risk Factor

NDEP’s print and radio PSAs have been revised to lead with language that highlights family history as a risk factor, rather than leading with age and weight as risk factors. This new language was developed following qualitative and quantitative research on the public’s attitudes, opinions, and behaviors regarding perceptions of their risk for type 2 diabetes.

NDEP has developed two new radio PSAs that promote the Small Steps, Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. campaign and resources. “Voices” is a 60-second radio PSA that features various people discussing their family history of diabetes. “Dr. Huerta” is a 60- second Spanish-language PSA that features Elmer Huerta, M.D., M.P.H., a syndicated radio program host, highlighting that having a parent, sister, or brother with type 2 diabetes increases a person’s risk for the disease, and that other risk factors include being overweight. NDEP encourages partners to download and distribute these PSAs to local radio stations.

In addition, NDEP’s print PSAs for high-risk audiences have been updated with this new family history reference. The PSAs also include the key messages of losing a small amount of weight by making healthy food choices and being physically active to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. To access and continue to promote the PSAs, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/resources.

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NDEP Publications New and Updated

To order these publications and other NDEP materials, visit the NDEP website, www.Yourdiabetesinfo.org, or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337); TTY: 1-866-569-1162.

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From Spanish to Samoan: Free Diabetes Materials

Consumer diabetes materials culturally tailored for high-risk audiences in Spanish and Asian languages, and adaptions for African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians, and Alaska Natives

The National Diabetes Education Program

For free copies, visit www.YourDiabetesinfo.org or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337), TTY: 1-866-569-1162

NDEP is jointly sponsored by NIH and CDC with the support of more than 200 partners.

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NDEP on the Road

NDEP regularly exhibits at national meetings across the country. Exhibits provide an opportunity to share information and publications, promote NDEP messages and resources, and strengthen links with partner organizations. Upcoming NDEP exhibits are listed below:

American Academy of Family Physicians

Scientific Assembly
October 14–18, 2009
Boston, MA

American Academy of Pediatrics

National Conference and Exhibition
October 17–20, 2009
Washington, DC

American Dietetic Association

Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo
October 17–20, 2009
Denver, CO
NDEP presentation by Ann Albright, Ph.D., R.D. and Joanne Gallivan, M.S., R.D. on October 20 at 9:45 a.m.

International Diabetes Federation

20th World Diabetes Congress
October 18–22, 2009
Montreal, Canada
NDEP presentation by Betsy Rodriguez, M.S.N., C.D.E. on October 22 at 8:30 a.m.
Join Ms. Gallivan for a poster session on October 21 at 12:00 p.m.

American Public Health Association

137th Annual Meeting
November 11–17, 2009
Philadelphia, PA
NDEP presentation by Ms. Rodriguez and Claire McCarty on November 10 at 12:30 p.m.
NDEP presentation by Michelle D. Owens-Gary, Ph.D., Quanza Brooks-Griffin, M.P.A., and Anna Taylor Ellis on November 10 at 10:30 a.m.

American Heart Association

Scientific Sessions 2009
November 14–18, 2009
Orlando, FL

Stay Connected with NDEP

• Visit NDEP online at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org. Learn more about diabetes, download and order free diabetes education resources and tools, learn how to work with NDEP to promote diabetes prevention and control, and find out more about how NDEP works to change the way diabetes is diagnosed, treated, and prevented.

• NDEP News & Notes, NDEP’s e-newsletter distributed on the first Monday of every month, keeps you informed about our activities and helps you identify opportunities to incorporate our campaign messages and resources into your programs. Email us at ndep@mail.nih.gov to be added to the NDEP distribution list.

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