Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107635

Barbara A. Larsen, MPH, RD, Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Directors, 13 Calle Jacinta, Santa Fe, NM 87508, 505-424-1059, Larsen@ChronicDisease.org and Paula F. Marmet, MS, RD, Kansas Dept of Health & Environment, Director, Bureau of Health Promotion, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 230, Topeka, KS 66612.

Few chronic diseases are more costly in terms of medical intervention, morbidity, and mortality than diabetes. Four well-designed randomized controlled trials recently demonstrated the benefits of strategies to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among persons with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). The Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Program Directors, in partnership with six state health agencies (SHA) and the Division of Diabetes Translation, CDC, conducted formative research to determine best practices for integrating prevention of diabetes into state Diabetes Prevention and Control Programs without compromising existing services to persons already diagnosed with diabetes. All six states received small grants to conduct qualitative research to identify: potential internal and external partners; policies or strategies to encourage disparate parts of the SHA to collaborate; public health policy changes to support diabetes prevention efforts; resources to develop diabetes prevention programs; processes to ensure collaboration among planning group members; strategies to build community partnerships; promising settings and practices to influence persons with IGT to make lifestyle changes; appropriate and feasible public health outcomes for diabetes prevention; and data collection needs of SHA to support diabetes prevention efforts. The qualitative methods included in-depth interviews, focus groups and discussions. The six states used a consistent set of questions to allow for comparison between the sites. Recommendations for state and national level policy change to facilitate the integration of diabetes primary prevention into established state Diabetes Prevention and Control Programs were developed and will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session the participant will be able to describe the qualitative methods used to collect information from internal and external partners.
• At the conclusion of this session the participant will be able to list at least 3 policy changes recommended for the implementation of diabetes prevention programs at the state level.
• At the conslusion of this session, the participant will be able to discuss at least 4 recommended processes for suporting cross-program collaboration for diabetes primary prevention at the state level.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.