New Extension Diabetes Program Yields Positive Results

RELEASE DATE: Jun. 14, 2004

A new educational program developed by University of Florida offers people with type 2 diabetes proactive ways to manage their disease. The in-depth, collaborative nine-session program is called Take Charge of Your Diabetes.

Take Charge of Your Diabetes grew out of a cooking class taught by Nancy Gal, the Marion County extension agent with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“In my Dining with Diabetes class, participants were hungry for more than food,” said Gal, who recently was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to serve a four-year term on the Florida Diabetes Advisory Council. “They wanted information on nutrition, medication, physical activity and how to test blood sugar. They also wanted to understand the risks of developing diabetes complications. That’s how our extension diabetes education program got started.”

At about the same time, new statistics came out on obesity trends. “It's easy to put on weight, especially if you eat fast food," said Gal. "Younger parents have been brought up on fast food, and it’s offered in many school lunch programs. Unfortunately, it's also very high in calories, and overweight people are at risk for diabetes.”

Linda Bobroff, a professor in UF’s family, youth and community sciences department who also is a state extension nutrition specialist, said, “The statistics on obesity are cause for concern, and we knew that education was at least part of the answer. The incidence of type 2 diabetes among obese persons is very high, and the potential health consequences of diabetes are severe.”

Gal’s program in Marion County was successful, Bobroff said, “but we wanted to broaden the scope and offer this program statewide and even nationwide.” So, with the help of specialists from the UF Diabetes Center of Excellence at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, the team reviewed and modified the materials.
The next step was to work with local health professionals in Colombia, Marion and Okaloosa counties to develop and test diabetes education programs.

“In these pilot programs - and in the final format of the program - our goal was to educate and motivate participants into making lifestyle changes to control their blood glucose levels and avoid the health complications that make life so much more difficult,” Bobroff said.

In all three counties, class participants reduced their blood glucose levels to maintenance levels recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Participants also took steps to protect their health, such as making appointments with ophthalmologists, registered dietitians and podiatrists.

Take Charge of Your Diabetes is now available from extension offices throughout Florida. Copies of the curriculum are on CD and can be purchased from the IFAS Bookstore at www.ifasbooks.ufl.edu.