Imagine this. Your doorbell rings and the pizza you’ve been expecting has arrived. But this time, there’s a public health message attached to the top of the box. Sound unusual? It happened nationwide in four different states on Super Bowl Sunday, a record-day for pizza deliveries.

NDEP, with the help of Diabetes Prevention & Control Programs in Arizona, Kentucky, Washington State, and West Virginia, teamed up with pizza restaurants in select markets to launch a pilot program designed to raise awareness about NDEP and our wealth of free diabetes resources. On Super Bowl Sunday, our pizza shop partners placed One Call, One Click print PSAs atop thousands of pizza boxes delivered on this high-traffic day, allowing NDEP to reach consumers in a unique way about the free diabetes prevention and control materials for people with diabetes, those at risk for diabetes, and their loved ones.

Look for more information about the results of this pilot promotion in the March issue of NEWS & NOTES.

On January 23, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced in a press release that diabetes is costing Americans $174 billion annually, a figure that has increased by 32 percent since 2002. ADA, leaders from the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, and diabetes experts discussed the economic impact of this new data from an ADA commissioned study during a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill.

According to ADA, the study reveals that the direct economic costs associated with diabetes have reached unprecedented levels. Medical expenditures of care for people with diabetes are estimated to be $116 billion, with a disproportionate percentage of the costs resulting from treatment and hospitalization of people with diabetes-related complications. The findings also suggest that one out of every five health care dollars is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes.

As you continue your diabetes outreach efforts, include this updated information in presentations and materials. These figures show the tremendous diabetes cost and the importance of continued diabetes education in all of our communities. To find out more about the cost of diabetes in your community, click here to use the ADA’s Diabetes Cost Calculator.

Formerly called Take These Small Steps Now to Prevent Diabetes, the English-language version of this tip sheet has recently been revised and is now titled Two Reasons I Find Time to Prevent Diabetes: My Future and Theirs. Part of the Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. campaign, the tip sheet includes tips to help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at risk for type 2 diabetes move more and eat less to lose weight and lower their risk for diabetes. Other revisions include the addition of tips for making healthy food choices and being physically active and the definition of “pre-diabetes.” In addition, a number of new items were added to the risk assessment checklist on the back of the tip sheet.

To download or order free copies of the tip sheet, click here.

Whether it’s helping a sweetheart manage diabetes or easing the burden of a family member or friend with diabetes, loved ones of people with diabetes want the best for them. NDEP is currently promoting two new feature articles to national and minority media during February – one for general audiences and another tailored for African American audiences – to highlight the importance of supporting a person with diabetes. “Matters of the Heart: Support a Loved One with Diabetes” and “Dealing with Diabetes: How to Support a Loved One with the Disease” offer tips people can take to help a loved one manage their diabetes. For more information, click here.

In March, NDEP will highlight American Diabetes Alert Day® and encourage people to talk with a health care professional to find out if they are at risk for or have diabetes. This day is devoted to informing the public about the seriousness of diabetes, particularly when diabetes is left undiagnosed or untreated. During this time, NDEP will promote the Small Steps. Big Rewards. Your GAME PLAN to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Information for Patients as a useful resource to help people determine whether they are at risk for developing diabetes. It also can help people with pre-diabetes take steps to lose weight and lower their risk for developing type 2 diabetes while there is still time to prevent its onset.

NDEP will also promote an updated feature article, “A Step in the Right Direction: Lose Weight & Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes,” to help people at risk for diabetes and their family members make gradual lifestyle changes to lose weight safely and keep it off.

In April, NDEP will promote its new “Ten Ways to Prevent Diabetes” lists to minority print and online media. The lists will include useful tips on making daily healthy food choices and creative ideas for becoming more physically active to lower the risk for type 2 diabetes. Target audiences will include African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indian and Alaska Natives. 

In each issue of NEWS & NOTES look for NDEP promotional tools that are ready for you to personalize, customize, and distribute.

• Take our feature articles, press releases, and public service announcements, and add your organization’s logo.
• Add your organization’s name and mission and talk about how you and NDEP are working together.
• Add your contact information to a feature article.
• Then submit the ad and/or article to your local paper.

By using our promotional tools, everybody wins. Your community newspaper receives a story with important health information for its readers, your organization receives good publicity, and you help NDEP continue to be the nation’s No. 1 resource for free information and materials on diabetes control and prevention. Each issue of NEWS & NOTES features tools that tie into the following month’s promotions and can help us promote NDEP together.

NDEP is hitting the road this spring! 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. Stop by and visit NDEP at the following exhibits:

• American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
  April 8-12, 2008; Fort Worth, TX
• CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation
  May 5-8, 2008; Orlando, FL
  NDEP also will present a session here.
• American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
  May 14-18, 2008; Orlando, FL
• American College of Physicians
  May 15-17, 2008; Washington, DC
• National Association of Physicians Assistants
  May 24-29, 2008; San Antonio, TX
• American Diabetes Association
  June 6-10, 2008; San Francisco, CA
  NDEP also will present a session here.
• The Endocrine Society
  June 15-18, 2008; San Francisco, CA
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
  June 26-30, 2008; Washington, DC
  NDEP also will present a session here.