It’s National Diabetes Month! What’s Your Role in Diabetes Education and Support?

It’s National Diabetes Month! What’s Your Role in Diabetes Education and Support?

National Diabetes Month is observed every November to draw attention to diabetes and its effects on millions of Americans. This year, the National Diabetes Education Program is highlighting the need for ongoing diabetes education and support through its theme, Diabetes Education and Support: Everyone Has a Role. What’s Yours?

Whether you have just been diagnosed with diabetes, or have been living with it for a while, diabetes education and support are important to help you stay healthy. Diabetes education should be ongoing, not just at diagnosis.

We all play an important role in diabetes education and support. Having a network of support can help people with diabetes better cope with the day-to-day demands of living with diabetes.

Diabetes education and support improves health outcomes, such as lowering blood sugar, reducing diabetes-related complications, and decreasing diabetes-related distress. Studies have also shown it to be cost-effective by reducing hospital admissions and readmissions.

NDEP has many resources to support your National Diabetes Month outreach—including social media messages, Facebook cover photos, an e-newsletter blurb, talking points, and a 30-second live-read public service announcement. These resources, available in both English and Spanish, can be found atYourDiabetesInfo.org/DiabetesMonth2015.