Applying national survey results for strategic planning and program improvement: The National Diabetes Education Program

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the federal government has spearheaded major national education programs to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in the United States. These prevention and disease management programs communicate critical information to the public, those affected by the disease, and health care providers. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), the leading federal program on diabetes sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), uses primary and secondary quantitative data and qualitative audience research to guide program planning and evaluation. Since 2006, the NDEP has filled the gaps in existing quantitative data sources by conducting its own population-based survey, the NDEP National Diabetes Survey (NNDS). The NNDS is conducted every 2–3 years and tracks changes in knowledge, attitudes and practice indicators in key target audiences. This article describes how the NDEP has used the NNDS as a key component of its evaluation framework and how it applies the survey results for strategic planning and program improvement. The NDEP's use of the NNDS illustrates how a program evaluation framework that includes periodic population-based surveys can serve as an evaluation model for similar national health education programs.

The National Diabetes Education Program at 20 Years: Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future

“…The NDEP was initiated at a time when knowledge about diabetes was limited (30). The idea that an individual could act to manage his or her diabetes, prevent complications, and prevent or delay T2D was a relatively new concept for people with diabetes and their health care providers.…”

Prevalence of diabetes across different immigrant groups in North-eastern Italy

“…Targeted programs for early intervention and diabetes management for these high-risk groups are thus needed. Specific risk factors and possible barriers to adequate prevention and care of diabetes in selected ethnic groups can be more easily tackled learning from the experience accumulated in traditional immigration countries of Northern Europe [26e28], as well as in United States [29,30] and Canada [31], and from the work of colleagues operating in the geographical areas origin of the recent migratory flow toward Southern Europe.…”

Dietary and modifiable factors contributing to hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia prevalence in nationwide time series data and the implications for primary prevention strategies

“…A number of studies from different countries examined secular trends in lipid profiles [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. One of them reported lifestyle factors contributing to such trends, including obesity, smoking, and alcohol drinking, but did not examine dietary factors [16]. Another study observed similar secular trends in serum cholesterol levels and dietary fat intake, but did not analyze their association [13].…”