Diabetes Ghostbusters Resource Project March 2008; page 6 revised August 2008 Summary of Internet Resource Review related to youth, pregnancy and families - awareness or prevention focus Sponsor: Healthy Start for Mom & Me, in collaboration with Mount Carmel Clinic, and in consultation with a variety of community members, specialists and organizations including provincial government Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Summary of Internet Resources Review As part of the diabetes Ghostbusters project, a summary of global diabetes Internet resources was compiled. The search was focused, but not limited to, youth and type 2 diabetes prevention, diabetes and pregnancy, and gestational diabetes. It was not comprehensive in that it examined only resources posted on the internet. A common global theme is the unique challenges encountered when developing effective youth and young adultoriented resources aimed at stemming the rapid growth of type 2 diabetes (& much less on gestational diabetes). Teaching tools were not reviewed within the context of this review. A summary of some innovative resources and campaigns is provided below. Country Description Highlights USA Finland Guatemala World Diabetes Foundation The USA National Diabetes Education Program: Developed posters targeting: people who are at high risk of diabetes; women with gestational diabetes; the Aboriginal population; African-American population; Asian-American & Pacific Islanders. Also developed a poster and resource campaign geared towards type 2 prevention among teens. Alaska: WOLF (Workout Low Fat) project; reaches 4 th graders. Focused on preventing diabetes by staying active and eating low-fat, low-sugar food. Colorado: Diabetes Advisory Council & Eye Awareness Committee developed an interesting poster; Think of everything you do to manage your diabetes Now imagine doing it blindfolded. New York State Department: easy to read pamphlet: You have the POWER to Prevent Diabetes. New Mexico Medical Review Association: Keep Your Diabetes in Check poster. Encourages low-fat and low-salt food; health & physical education of children and youth; training of healthcare,catering, nursery, and school teachers. Poster of Michelangelo s David made to appear obese as a way of bringing awareness to obesity and its link to diabetes. Roughly translated, the message reads, If you don t move, you become fat. Graphic pictures & statistics of the consequences of having diabetes. Imparts a strong visual image of the impact of diabetes in the third world. Multi-cultural approach tailoring messages for each group. Uses a positive approach to reach and motivate target audience. Message targeted towards school-aged children. Attention-grabbing poster. Offers clear, concrete steps on diabetes prevention. Clear poster listing key medical tests. Primarily focused on exercise. Building additional recreational facilities to promote an active lifestyle. Memorable poster with a simple, powerful message. Very stark and unforgettable images.
Summary of Internet Resources Review Country Description Highlights Malaysia Strategy focuses on lifestyle changes such as: healthy diet, physical activity, maintaining appropriate weight and not smoking. Simple message targeted at the majority of citizens at risk. Maldives Developed a diabetes song to reach its citizens. Innovative approach. Nepal New Zealand Philippines Sri Lanka United Kingdom Australia Cameroon Literature raises awareness to the dangers of excessive weight gain after pregnancy to prevent diabetes in urban areas. Push Play campaign to raise activity levels to 30 minutes daily, instead of pushing play on a DVD player. Poster depicting 5 strings; one tied around each finger as reminders to: not smoke, eat right, exercise, watch your weight, relax. Developed a Diabetes Alert video to increase awareness of Type 2 diabetes among children and teens. A song called Give Them Hope was also developed to target youth on diabetes prevention. Diabetes UK Careline: call centre to answer general questions about diabetes, and offers a 24 hour recorded diabetes information line. Questions regarding diabetes can also be emailed. Reduce your waist. Reduce your risk. Poster encouraging waist measurement to determine level of diabetes risk. Half the people with diabetes don t know they have it. Two people standing, each wearing white t-shirts one has a check mark (this person has diabetes), the other has a question mark (not sure whether they have diabetes). Graphic posters depicting the damage diabetes can inflict on one s body. Culturally-specific programs developed to maximize the effectiveness of campaigns within specific cultural groups; e.g. Dance for Fitness developed for Arabic women. Watch Out poster: overweight/obesity can lead to blood pressure and diabetes. Another poster depicts an active family with the message, Regular Exercise Prevents Diabetes. Targets post-partum women to dispel cultural myths. Interesting play on words. Clear, visually memorable poster. Significant in that video and song target local teens and youth. Highly accessible information line could appeal to teens. Posters offer specific advice. Graphic posters are eye-catching. Significant, since the campaigns take culture into consideration. Cartoon poster may work with teens and youth.
Summary of Internet Resources Review Country Description Highlights Canada Canadian Diabetes Association: Think Diabetes can t affect you because you re young? Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative: Series of posters aimed at youth, those who have gestational diabetes, and young families, Eat Right. Be Active. Have Fun. You Can Prevent Diabetes. Inuit Diabetes Association: Interesting poster bringing diabetes awareness to people who have diabetes in their family. Sunshine Coast: Developed a Diabetes Road Show that brought an interactive type 2 diabetes prevention lab to grade 9 students. Cold Lake First Nations: Young Chef Program teaches youth from 11-18 how to to cook well-balanced, inexpensive meals. Moose Cree First Nations: Diabetes awareness through a Diabetes Survivor Health Fair (based on the popular TV show). Sandy Lake Health: Weekly Diabetes Radio Show & a youth-focused radio show on Friday nights. Every show relays messages about nutrition, healthy living, etc. Specifically targeted at youth. Positive messages for diabetes prevention. Raises awareness for the familial aspects of diabetes. Innovative. Excellent use of resources. Hands-on learning. Connects youth s interests with diabetes awareness. Effective medium for isolated communities. Youth Resource Gaps In an Australian study, youth thought that posters were one of the most effective means of reaching young people. However, youth (& the public in general) are inundated with posters, which can make posters less effective. Canadian Internet use is one of the highest per capita. The Internet has not been effectively used yet as a medium in which to reach youth with diabetes awareness and prevention messages. Not enough out there yet that is truly attention-grabbing or obviously geared to youth and young adults in its look.
Summary of Internet Resources Review Some Recommendations on Increasing Reach to Youth and Young Adults/Families New & innovative ways must be constantly explored to effectively impart diabetes awareness & prevention messages to the younger demographic. (Diabetes is viewed as old news.. Engaging doctors as part of the creative loop & team is needed.) Consistency of messaging, simplicity, shock or humour style are important; Need to counter the impression that diabetes is inevitable in a believable way. The following is a sample of alternate or further approaches to youth-targeted messaging. Idea Description Rationale TV Web/Internet Animation/video Start younger - schools E-mail Hands-on teaching resources Using the TV as a medium to reach the youth audience; e.g. TV promo ads. ( Review and rate approach can be successful.) Using the Web/Internet, partner with popular teen sites to see if they would run a non-profit campaign (e.g. YouTube, Live Journal, Facebook) Short animation or edgy reality video discussing why teens & young adult families should be interested in Type 2 or gestational diabetes. E.g. Having an 8 year-old with Type 2 diabetes could be a startling way to attract attention and get the message out clearly. Become involved with children at a young age (kindergarten) by partnering with local schools and community-based programs (e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs). Set-up an email address, staffed by trained individuals to answer questions about diabetes. This could be modeled after the UK Careline program. An example of a hands-on resource is the Body Apron by Ideabetes (sold by Diabeters). This is a teaching apron with velcroed organs on it to enable demonstration of effects of diabetes on human body. Reaches teens and parents. Maximum exposure to target audience. Able to relate to content and style. Early messages plant the seeds of change. Convenient medium, which is familiar to youth. Visual teaching tools in a classroom or other primary prevention program are memorable to observers, and work.
What was accomplished The review of diabetes resources on the internet (samples in large binders provided to the Public Health Agency of Canada and available on disk) and this summary, with its recommendations for further directions for resource development form just one part of the Diabetes Ghostbusters Project. In addition, with significant community consultation (with many thanks owed), the project group developed: 3 posters with awareness-development messages that are edgy and provocative with very simple messages distribution within Manitoba 2-sided tear-pads for doctors and other health professionals: one side with a poster image (pregnant belly stamped Max baby load 9 lbs ) and the other side with basic information about Type 2 and gestational diabetes A 30-second promo (public service announcement) for TV, airing spring 2008, with hope for further airing by other stations in the future. (Posting on the web at a later date.) Small ads of the posters for wide distribution via email or web. Posters available via the web in either 11 x 17 or 8 ½ x 11 formats. Poster feedback during the drafting stage was carefully solicited and listened to. Viewers vetting the poster designs included the focus population, some Aboriginal elders, various ethnicities and literacy levels. Posters were adapted or nixed accordingly they were very positive about the final products. Once in circulation, feedback on the look and messaging has been varied from highly positive, to concern from professionals that the maximum baby load message could cause under-eating or that the fast food image was too appealing. A project limitation is that further evaluation concerning usage and impact is not built in Response to the 30-second PSA has been very positive. The intention of the project was to get the ball rolling locally in Manitoba with specific attention to a young population with emergent health concerns. The project assessed what is out there (to a reasonable degree but not comprehensively), developed (for testing) a look and tone, produced resources and decided to make them as widely available as possible by distributing them in downloadable form for use in Canada and possibly other English-speaking countries. Community members from at-risk groups especially advised against targeting their group, so the look of the posters is generic we hope. Whether we have succeeded is an open question, but we are happy to have contributed to this increasingly pressing local as well as global concern of diabetes in younger people, with new and serious outcomes for pregnancy, birth and children s future health. Other information gleaned, not directly related to the purpose of this project: Physicians are not always linking their diagnosed patients to diabetes educators for dietary and activity counselling Work with physicians to update and maximize their key messaging to patients could be a future area of attention for the Canadian Diabetes Strategy. Engaging physicians to work collaboratively on this issue would be valuable for all concerned. talk2your doc as a slogan is catchy, but doctors may still find it a challenge to talk to youth about diabetes risk This was a one-time project completed March 2008. Funding for this publication was provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. This Manitoba project was sponsored by Healthy Start for Mom & Me in collaboration with Mount Carmel Clinic and a variety of community members and organizations. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Public Health Agency of Canada