New Diabetes Education Initiative

New Diabetes Education Initiative

NEW DIABETES EDUCATION INITIATIVE

On June 23, 1998, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher announced
the National Diabetes Education Program's "Control Your Diabetes for Life"
campaign. This education initiative is designed to encourage America's estimated
16 million diabetics to control their blood sugar levels and seek appropriate
medical treatment.
Dr. Satcher, and other officials from the Centers for Disease
Control and the National Institutes of Health, spoke of the disproportionate
impact of diabetes on America's minority, older-aged, and economically-disadvantaged
populations, and the need for regular home blood testing, and "aggressive
treatment with diet, physical activity, and new medicines, to prevent or delay
much of the illness and death from diabetes."
The new campaign will employ television, radio, and print public
service announcements, and will distribute, to health care providers and diabetics,
the program's pamphlet "Principles of Diabetes Care." This four-page
pamphlet is meant to guide health care providers through a regular program of
diabetes screening, on-going care, diabetes education, treatment of hyperglycemia,
blood glucose monitoring, preventing and diagnosing ramifications, and screening
for diabetes complications.
"People with diabetes need to step forward and take control
of their diabetes," says Dr. Phillip Gorden, Director of the NIH's National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK.) "Scientific
studies provide compelling evidence that maintaining blood sugar levels at less
than seven percent, as measured by the HbA1C blood test, may reduce risk of
complications by 50-80 percent," he says.
Materials provided by the campaign include, in addition to the
above pamphlet, diabetes fact sheets, quizzes, definitions, a policy statement:
"Guiding Principles for Diabetes Care," and collections of tips for
healthy living.
These government-sponsored diabetes education materials are
available in standard print, and on the World Wide Web (http://ndep.nih.gov
or http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes or http://www.niddk.nih.gov), but there is, unfortunately,
no plan to release them in alternative format, such as Braille or audiocassette.
This is a serious omission, especially as diabetes is the leading cause of new
blindness in the United States.
To find out more about the "Control Your Diabetes For Life"
program, or to obtain copies of these or other government-produced diabetes
education materials, contact the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse,
1 Information Way, Bethesda, MD 20892-3560; telephones: 1-800 438-5358 or (301)
654-3327; fax: (301) 907-8906; or the above three websites.

A HEALTH-CARE TIP FROM "CONTROL YOUR DIABETES FOR LIFE":
The Hemoglobin A1c is a laboratory blood test that all people
with diabetes should have on a regular basis. The test shows your average blood
sugar level over the past 3 months. The test is conducted by taking a small
amount of blood and measuring the amount of sugar attached to the hemoglobin
in your red blood cells. Results are given in percentages.
If your results show that your blood sugar is normal or close
to normal and stable, you should have the hemoglobin A1c test at least twice
a year. If your treatment changes (for example, you start taking a new medicine,
or change your diet) or if your blood sugar stays too high, you should get the
test every 3 months until your blood sugar improves.
Hemoglobin A1c Testing Goal
The hemoglobin A1c goal for people with diabetes is: A reading
of less that seven percent. But, if you can lower your hemoglobin A1c number
by any amount, you will improve your chances of staying healthy. A change in
treatment is almost always needed if the hemoglobin A1c is over eight percent.
Ask your health care provider about the hemoglobin A1c test.