What
is the Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes campaign? ^ top
Millions of Americans are at high risk for diabetes, a serious and costly disease that has reached
epidemic proportions in the past 10 years. The good news: diabetes can be prevented. To
get this important information to those at risk, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has created
the Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes campaign.
The NDEP has created campaign messages and materials for people at risk for diabetes, including those
at high risk: African Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders, and older adults. In addition, the NDEP and its partners are promoting
diabetes prevention to health care providers to give them the information and tools to help their patients take
small steps to prevent the disease.
What is the science
behind the campaign? ^ top
The Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP), a landmark study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health,
found that people at increased risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7
percent of their body weight through increased physical activity and a reduced fat and lower
calorie diet.
In the DPP, modest weight loss proved effective in preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes in all groups at high risk for the
disease. That is why the Department of Health and Human Services' NDEP is mobilizing its partners at
the national, state, and local levels to promote the DPP's findings.
What is the
campaign's message? ^ top
Small Steps: If you have pre-diabetes (higher than normal blood glucose levels but not yet diabetes),
you only need to lose a modest amount of weight - for example, 10 to 15 pounds for a 200-pound
person - to prevent type 2 diabetes. You can do it by building up to 30 minutes of physical activity a day
5 days a week and following a low-calorie, low-fat eating plan.
Big Rewards: Preventing type 2 diabetes means peace of mind and a healthier and longer life without serious
complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations.
How is the campaign reaching
high risk audiences? ^ top
To reach audiences at highest risk for diabetes, the NDEP has created the following
targeted messages:
What are the campaign
components? ^ top
-
Public service advertising campaign - Television, radio, and print public service ads
increase awareness about diabetes prevention. Radio and print ads are tailored for each high risk group.
-
Publicity campaign - Small Steps. Big Rewards. events in cities across
the country will promote successful community-based weight loss and lifestyle change programs. Plus
there are ready-to-tailor news releases and feature articles for partners to promote the campaign in
their local media outlets.
-
Health care provider's "GAME PLAN" toolkit - This toolkit translates the latest research
findings about diabetes prevention, provides practical tips for patient counseling about weight
loss, and includes information and educational posters and booklets to use with patients.
-
Consumer "GAME PLAN" materials - These booklets give people at risk everything
they need to get started on their weight loss program and to stick with it. In addition, there are
specially tailored motivational tip sheets for older adults and for ethnically diverse audiences
(in English, Spanish, and 15 Asian and Pacific Islander languages).
How can organizations participate in the
Small Steps. Big Rewards. campaign? ^ top
Tap into the NDEP's diabetes prevention materials and use them in your organization's activities
and programs. You can download the Small Steps. Big Rewards. campaign components from
this website.
All materials are copyright-free and may be reproduced and distributed without permission. Consumers,
health care providers, and others can obtain free copies of the Small Steps. Big Rewards. materials by calling the NDEP's toll-free number (1-800-438-5383) or by downloading them from this
website.
*PDF files require
the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader application for viewing.
All our publications are copyright-free. Please duplicate and distribute
as many copies of these materials as desired.
Attention visually impaired visitors: To use common screen
reading programs with PDF documents, please visit access.adobe.com,
which provides a set of free tools that convert PDF documents to
simple HTML or ASCII text. |