NDEP is pleased to introduce its recently revised Más que comida, es vida (It’s More than Food. It’s Life.) nutritional campaign for Hispanics/Latinos with diabetes and their families. This educational campaign is designed to dispel misunderstandings about healthy eating and teach Hispanics/Latinos how to adopt a tasty but nutritional meal plan that maintains the cultural uniqueness of their food. This campaign is a resource for dietitians, diabetes educators, and people who want to manage their diabetes without losing their cultural identity. Although specifically designed with Hispanics/Latinos in mind, Más que comida, es vida can help all people with diabetes understand how to plan and prepare healthy meals and make healthy food choices.

Written in both Spanish and English, the campaign features a recipe booklet, Ricas recetas para personas con diabetes y sus familiares (Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families),with food ideas specifically designed for the Latin American palate. Among the delicious and healthy recipes included in the booklet are Tortilla española (Spanish omelet), Carne guisada de res o pavo (beef or turkey stew), Pargo rojo caribeño (Caribbean red snapper), and Tacos de aguacate (avocado tacos). Appetizing images of entrees and a practical design that includes nutrition facts make this meal planner a useful tool for anyone with diabetes.

In addition to the recipe booklet, other campaign components include a bilingual poster and print public service announcements (PSAs) in English* and Spanish*. To order free copies of campaign materials or to download them online, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337). To download the PSAs, visit NDEP’s Campaign Tools webpage and click on “Print PSAs.”

Coming Soon! Stay tuned to NEWS & NOTES for information about a new Más que comida, es vida campaign CD with additional promotional materials.

NDEP is currently promoting a new feature article entitled, “Five Facts About Diabetes”* authored by Griffin Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P., Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to general print and online publications. The article separates fact from fiction and provides information to help people with diabetes better understand how to manage their disease. For more tips on staying healthy and managing diabetes, read NDEP’s Tips to Help You Stay Healthy tip sheet.*

NDEP encourages you to continue to promote “Five Facts About Diabetes”* to local media and to your partners. For example, add your organization’s logo,* name, mission, and contact information to highlight how you and NDEP are working together. Then submit the article to your local newspaper or promote it in your organization’s newsletter.

Schools across the country now have free access to an innovative set of teaching tools designed to increase the understanding of science, health, and diabetes among American Indian and Alaska Native students in kindergarten through grade 12. This new comprehensive curriculum, “Health is Life in Balance,” is now viewable and downloadable via the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College website. A product of the Diabetes-based Science Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) program, this curriculum was developed in collaboration with eight tribal colleges and universities and several Native American organizations, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The curriculum integrates science and Native American traditions to educate students about diabetes and its risk factors, science, and the importance of nutrition and physical activity in maintaining health and balance in life. Applying an inquiry-based approach to learning, the curriculum also builds research skills in observation, measurement, prediction, experimentation, and communication. Curriculum units provide accurate, culturally tailored materials and lesson plans for use in more than 1,000 tribal schools on reservations and in public schools with a large number of Native American students.

To view or download the curriculum online, please visit www.kbocc.org/dets.htm.

Pamela Allweiss, M.D., M.P.H., NDEP-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff person and Michelle Owens-Gary, Ph.D., of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation were recently interviewed on Tiffanie Davis’ My Intimate Details Radio Blog Show to discuss the physiological, psychological, and physical causes of erectile dysfunction (ED) – including diabetes, one of the most common risk factors associated with ED, and available treatment options. During the interview, listeners were encouraged visit NDEP’s website to order and download free resources on diabetes prevention and control. To listen to the interview in its entirety, visit www.blogtalkradio.com/TiffanieDavis/2008/11/06/National-Diabetes-Month-Featuring-Drs-Michelle-Owens-and-Pamela-Allweiss.

In March, NDEP will celebrate American Diabetes Alert Day and promote its Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. campaign and resources. NDEP will also re-release its One Call, One Click print public service announcements to general audience and health care professional print publications.

In April, NDEP will distribute a new feature article to general print and online publications to highlight the importance of proper foot care for people with diabetes. For more tips to help people with diabetes take good care of their feet, read NDEP’s Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime brochure.

In each issue of NEWS & NOTES look for NDEP promotional tools that are ready for you to personalize, customize, and distribute. For example, use our printer-ready public service announcements to make diabetes posters for upcoming events, health fairs, or your office. Use our customizable campaign tools to promote diabetes awareness in your community. Or take our feature articles, press releases, and public service announcements, and add your organization’s logo*.

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:

• Office of Minority Health’s Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health
  Feb 25-27, 2009; National Harbor, MD
• American College of Cardiology’s 58th Annual Scientific Session
  March 29-31, 2009; Orlando, FL
• American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance’s National Convention
  March 31-April 4, 2009; Tampa, FL
• Association of Health Care Journalists’ Health Journalism 2009
  April 16-19, 2009; Seattle, WA
• CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation’s 2009 Conference
  April 21-24, 2009; Long Beach, CA
  Look for several presentations by NDEP staff and work group members.
• American College of Physicians’ Internal Medicine 2009
  April 23-25, 2009; Philadelphia, PA
• American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ 18th Annual Meeting
  May 13-17, 2009; Houston, TX
• American Academy of Physician Assistants’ 37th Annual Conference
  May 23-28, 2009; San Diego, CA