Tailoring Materials to Raise Awareness of Prediabetes

Submission Date: September 2014

Entry Type: Case Study

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Washington

States/Territories Involved: Washington

Funding Source: NACDD

Other Funding:

NACDD funding

Domain Addressed:

Environmental Approaches

Public Health Issue:

Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15 – 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.

Most people with prediabetes do not know they have it and that there is a program that can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program research study showed that making modest behavior changes helped participants lose 5 – 7% of their body weight and reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% in people with prediabetes.

Raising awareness of prediabetes risk factors and the National Diabetes Prevention Program’s (National DPP) evidence-based lifestyle change program among people at risk for developing diabetes can promote increased used of this vital program.

Project Objectives:

Create and distribute a suite of evidence-based lifestyle change program promotional materials tailored to reflect various audiences.

Program Action:

In partnership with the Washington State Diabetes Network, the Washington Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) adapted a CDC suite of diabetes prevention promotional materials featuring the phrase “You Can Make A Change For Life,” including a consumer-focused poster and brochure. Two versions of the poster were created: one for all ages and one aimed at older adults. Awareness materials were translated into Spanish and all materials, text and pictures were changed to reflect the age, gender, ethnicity, and literacy level of audiences. Evidence-based lifestyle change program coaches helped test materials with target audiences. Once finalized, posters and brochures were made available to download or order at the Washington State Diabetes Connection website.

Washington Information Network 211 (WIN211) branding was added to one version of the materials; a second version was made to be customizable by the user. The DPCP, WIN211, and providers of evidence-based lifestyle change programs used the modified materials to promote the lifestyle change program at multiple venues. These materials were also made available to healthcare providers to raise prediabetes awareness and refer patients to the evidence-based lifestyle change program.

 

State Health Department Role:

• Partnered with the Washington State Diabetes Network to modify existing promotional materials
• Contracted with WIN211 to distribute promotional materials for the evidence-based lifestyle change program at regional call centers and outreach events
• Promoted the evidence-based lifestyle change program to healthcare providers and employers at meetings and events
• Provided promotional materials to evidence-based lifestyle change program providers for use in participant recruitment
• Identified additional funding sources to expand promotion of the lifestyle change program

Partners:

• Washington State Diabetes Network (members, leadership team, communications committee)
• Washington Information Network 211
• Washington Healthcare Improvement Network
• Evidence-based lifestyle change program providers

Find Washington awareness materials here: http://diabetes.doh.wa.gov/resources-for-health-professionals-2/patient-education-resources-1/patient-education-materials-1/you-can-make-a-change-for-life

Impact/Accomplishments:

• 1 Marketing campaign
• 1,631,000 Adults with prediabetes living in the geographic area covered by this campaign
• 368 Outreach events attended by staff from WIN211 call centers
  • 267 Consumer calls
  • 429 Referrals to the evidence-based lifestyle change program and other diabetes services

Challenges/Lessons Learned:

Factors Supporting Success-

• Dedicated funding
• Participation in the Washington Diabetes Network Leadership Team
• Access to Washington Department of Health staff with expertise in consumer-focused print and web-based media
• Developed Washington-specific campaign materials that were:
  • Adapted from existing CDC awareness materials
  • Tailored to be appropriate for the target audiences
  • Based on input from a variety of stakeholders
• Engaged evidence-based lifestyle change program providers and Washington State Diabetes Network members and Leadership Team during the material development phase, which ensured their future use of the materials

Challenges and Solutions-
Challenge: Awareness materials were needed quickly due to the short, one-year project time-frame
Solutions: Adapted existing CDC materials; modified the materials quickly; received input from stakeholders who were focused on primary prevention and therefore provided input in a timely manner

Challenge: Loss of some essential staff due to budget cuts caused setbacks in development and implementation
Solution: Utilized this project funding and other in-kind funding to support staff focused on this strategy

Challenge: The print material inventory was dependent on availability of funding
Solutions: Distributed materials on a first-come, first-served basis; reprinted based on demand; made materials available in an electronic format for partners to print themselves

Next Steps:

• Continue to contract with WIN211 (as funding allows) to 1) maintain listings of evidence-based programs in their database, 2) add more listings as they become available, and 3) distribute DPP and other materials at outreach events
• Continue to build support for using WIN211 as a referral source for more health-related topics
• Re-print the adapted materials as funding allows

Program Areas:

Diabetes

State Contact Information:

WA
Sara Eve Sarliker (SaraEve.Sarliker@doh.wa.gov) and Jeanne Harmon (Jeanne.Harmon@doh.wa.gov)
Washington Heart Disease, Stroke and Diabetes Prevention Program
360-236-3799
SaraEve.Sarliker@doh.wa.gov

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