Diabetes Education in NC Local Health Departments.

摘要: Nationally, approximately half of patients with diabetes report having had formal diabetes self-management education (DSME). Since the vast majority of diabetes educators are hospital-based, new venues to improve access to self-management education are needed. Local health departments, traditional sites for health education, are likely underutilized as sites for DSME programs. We undertook a survey of North Carolina local health departments (LHDs) to assess their activities in DSME. We conducted a cross-sectional mailed survey of all 85 LHDs in North Carolina in 2005. The survey was a comprehensive assessment of all activities in diabetes prevention and control, and specific questions measured details about diabetes education programs and staffing. Survey responses were linked to county-level data, such as estimated diabetes prevalence, availability of primary care, and sociodemographic information …