National Diabetes Education Program Plans New Campaign for Comprehensive Care

By Joanne Gallivan, Director, NDEP, NIDDK

The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Steering Committee agreed to expand the program's audience and messages in a new campaign targeted to health care providers. This new initiative will urge rigorous control of blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. While continuing to promote the importance of blood sugar control to people with diabetes, the NDEP's Comprehensive Care Initiative will help to improve provider practices and patient outcomes.

"It's time for the NDEP to promote control of blood pressure and cholesterol as well as blood glucose in order to improve outcomes for people with diabetes," said Charles M. Clark, M.D., chair of the NDEP Steering Committee.

Since 1997, the impact of cardio-vascular disease on morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes has become increasingly evident. This initiative will provide health care professionals with tools and materials they need to give their patients comprehensive, goal-oriented management of blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure. The NDEP will work with its corporate partners to disseminate the new expanded message to both providers and patients.

Launched in 1997, the NDEP is a joint project of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NDEP involves both public and private partners in designing ways to improve treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, to promote early diagnosis, and ultimately to prevent the onset of disease.

About 5.4 million Americans with diabetes have not been diagnosed. Public awareness about diabetes is low, despite the fact that the disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes disproportionately affects African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans.

To learn more about the NDEP, contact: Joanne Gallivan, NIDDK, NIH, at (301) 496-3583, or Phyllis McGuire, CDC, at (770) 488-5025. You may also visit the NDEP website at http://ndep.nih.gov or call 1-800-438-5383 to receive updates on the program's progress and upcoming activities. s