Diabetes Outreach Network
Abstract
Oral and Poster Presentations by MDON staff
     
   
The following oral presentation was given at the
Center for Disease Control (CDC) Chronic Disease Conference
St. Louis, MO, on February 20, 2003

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Diabetes Translation Conference
Boston, MD, on April 3, 2003
Title: Reducing the Future Burden of Diabetes through Creative Prevention Interventions

Author: Jean Hare, RN, MPA, CDE Southern Michigan Diabetes Outreach Network (517)279-2267

Purpose: To provide tools and prevention strategies to an already overburdened health care system to help reduce the increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adults.

Setting: Southern Michigan Diabetes Outreach Network (SODON), one of six networks in Michigan. SODON, which serves ten counties in the state, consists of rural areas, as well as, small cities which have several disparity populations that reside in the area.

Intervention: SODON developed tools, games, and low literacy brochures that were made available to schools and health care providers. These tools are used to create awareness of the increasing prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes and the easy lifestyle steps that can be taken to prevent it. The information is based on the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) which concludes that 58% of diabetes could be prevented by losing as little as 7 lbs. of body weight, reducing the fat content in the diet, and by being more active. Information is put in a user friendly format so that even the busiest clinician can use it in their practice or a school nurse or teacher can present easily in a classroom of students.

Outcomes: This information and reproducible tools can be easily accessed on the web or a hard copy can be provided to those without access. The information is based on the DPP and translated into easy applicability for health care professionals, for their patients, and teachers for use in the classroom. Thus far, over 1500 school children have been reached with a presentation discussing healthy lifestyles. A pre and post test is given for content knowledge and goals are set by each student, and can be followed up by the teacher for evaluation purposes. Several minority health initiative groups are using this model to reach children of color in their school setting.

Over 1,000 health care professionals have been made aware of prevention strategies to use with at-risk individuals, agency programs, and thousands of materials such as prevention brochures,
tip cards, posters, and prevention modules, have been distributed.

Conclusions: While many health care providers understand the importance of the DPP study, not only for reducing the risk of diabetes but its relevance to other diseases as well, such as heart disease, they felt they had little time for implementation. This model provides easy access to information to distribute to their patients.

School personnel are becoming increasingly aware of the presence of obesity and increasing incidence of diabetes in school children. This easy approach and reproducible tools assist them in educating lifestyle changes in an informative and entertaining method.t

Learning Objectives: To teach and train professionals to disseminate healthy lifestyle information in their daily lives and to integrate this message into their daily responsibilities. Also, to communicate a clear message to consumers of the importance of healthy lifestyle changes.

Contact: Jean Hare, RN, MPA, CDE (517)279-2267

 
 
Independent Study Modules
Email Us with Your Comments!
Clean Bill of Health