GIS Story Maps Enhance Opportunities for Montanans at Risk for Diabetes

Submission Date: July 2019

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Montana

States/Territories Involved: Montana

CDC Funding:

Yes

CDC Funding (Specified):

(1305) State Public Health

Domain Addressed:

Epidemiology and Surveillance

Public Health Issue:

• The Montana DPP, part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP), is a public health program that supports lifestyle changes focusing on healthy eating and physical activity for adults who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
• Since 2008, the Montana DPP has been committed to reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes among Montanans at high risk by utilizing sustainable community partnerships to provide opportunities for primary prevention emphasizing healthy lifestyle change.
• A goal for the Montana Diabetes Program is to expand the availability of diabetes prevention programs to communities with a high burden of risk factors for diabetes and to promote enrollment into these programs.

Program Action:

• Using GIS and county-level data from CDC on risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes—specifically obesity and leisure-time physical inactivity—program staff developed an interactive map to compare the prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity by county.
• Maps documented the geographic variation/disparity in the burden of diabetes risk-factors across communities and were used to identify communities that need new diabetes prevention programs.
• Maps showing locations for established diabetes prevention programs also were developed to facilitate referrals.
• Recognizing the unique opportunity to organize and present elements of the Montana DPP story using geography, data, media, and personal stories in the interactive, online format that GIS and mapping provided, the Montana Diabetes Prevention and Diabetes Self-Management Education & Support story maps were developed.

Impact/Accomplishments:

• GIS and maps have helped to identify priority areas for training new NDPP lifestyle coaches, to evaluate geographic program delivery gaps, and to focus resources, such as start-up funding for new NDPP telehealth sites under CDC’s DP18-1817 grant.
• Interactive Story maps support community health by allowing healthcare providers and community members to:
• locate available NDPP lifestyle change programs by drive-time and by type of program offered (i.e., in-person, satellite, or telehealth), and
• take advantage of opportunities within their communities that support lifestyle change by locating farmer’s markets and access areas for exercise in parks and trails by community.
• Story maps provide a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate, overview of prediabetes risk-factors and locations of NDPP sites in Montana and have been used to share this information with hospitals, healthcare providers, NDPP lifestyle coaches, and the public in a user-friendly, accessible format.

Program Areas:

Epidemiology and Surveillance

State Contact Information:

MT
Dorota Carpenedo
Montana Department of Health and Human Services
406-444-0653
dcarpenedo@mt.gov

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