Letter to Diabetes Advocates

Dear Diabetes Advocate,

On behalf of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) American Indian/Alaska Native Workgroup, I would like to thank you for helping us in our fight against diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. The NDEP AIAN Workgroup membership includes AIAN health professionals and community leaders who advise the NDEP on the development of culturally appropriate diabetes education materials and campaigns for AIAN communities. The NDEP American Indian campaigns have promoted a message of hope for diabetes prevention and treatment during the past 5 years, with our "Control Your Diabetes for Future Generations" campaign and our "Move It! And Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes" campaign for youth.

Recent research studies have shown that individuals with diabetes can reduce their risk of developing the complications of diabetes by lowering their blood glucose levels through healthy eating, exercise, taking their medications, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. More recently, the Diabetes Prevention Program research study showed that it is possible to prevent diabetes by healthy lifestyle changes. In addition to our "Move It!" campaign, we are releasing new materials this year to help educate AIANs of all ages that they can prevent diabetes. Making sure that every AIAN hears these messages of hope is our primary goal.

This American Indian Supplement to the NDEP Community Partnership Guide was developed to encourage you to create activities in your communities that help provide education about diabetes prevention and treatment. It is intended to provide additional ideas relevant to AIAN communities, and examples are included of specific activities that have been proposed. Since diabetes is a condition that affects individuals, families, and communities, your efforts to provide diabetes education in your community are extremely important. We hope you will find this guide to be useful, and we are grateful for your efforts in helping us all work towards a healthier future for AIAN communities.

Yvette Roubideaux, M.D., M.P.H.
Chair, NDEP American Indian and Alaska Native Workgroup

National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)    http://ndep.nih.gov
NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

A Joint Initiative of the National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention