The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (aka Virginia Tech) aimed at advancing the study of diabetes management and social support interventions.

Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services provided by a diabetes care and education specialist (DCES) are essential in helping people with diabetes reduce their risk of complications and improve their quality of life. In addition to teaching self-care behaviors such as healthy eating, physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, and taking medicines properly, DSMES services include:
• Goal setting.
• Reducing risks of diabetes-related complications.
• Problem solving.
• Developing strategies to improve emotional well-being.

There are many guides and tools that provide DSMES services. NACDD and Virginia Tech’s collaboration will explore the potential of CDC’s New Beginnings discussion guide in reaching those people who need help managing their diabetes. New Beginnings: A Discussion Guide for Living Well With Diabetes is a tool to help people with diabetes and their family members take positive action to manage the disease.

Using a storytelling approach to open and guide discussions, New Beginnings connects emotionally with participants and can help them think in new and different ways about managing diabetes. It brings together aspects of participant-centered design, mindfulness practices, and critical thinking skills to look at topics such as living well with diabetes, building self-confidence, and managing stress.

Diabetes care and education specialists, health ministers, employers, and other educators can use New Beginnings to help people with diabetes:
• Recognize how the emotional side of diabetes can affect diabetes self-care.
• Understand the importance of diabetes care and self-management.
• Set goals and develop plans for adopting diabetes self-care behaviors.

Marti Macchi, NACDD’s Chief Program Strategy Officer, states, “About 37 million adults in the United States have diabetes. It is a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults. The good news is that people with diabetes can reduce their risk of these complications by managing their blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. NACDD and Virginia Tech will evaluate how education tools reduce complications from diabetes.”

To learn more about this project, please get in touch with Kelly Durden at kdurden@chronicdisease.org.