New videos to help people make lifestyle changes and cope with the demands of diabetes were announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The series of three- to five-minute videos, which can be found HERE. This site (Diabetes HealthSense) addresses topics such as setting goals to improve health, living with diabetes, finding the support you need, as well as segments on diabetes prevention and physical activity.
The video series is the latest addition to NDEP’s offerings in lifestyle change. The videos are being released to coincide with the redesign of NDEP’s online library of behavior change resources, Diabetes HealthSense. Diabetes HealthSense provides users with a searchable database of research, tools, and programs to address the wide array of psychosocial and lifestyle-change challenges associated with diabetes self-management. Resources included in Diabetes HealthSense have been reviewed by a team of leading independent experts on psychosocial issues with specific expertise in the science of behavior change.
Visitors to the Diabetes HealthSense site can view videos featuring expert professionals who are volunteers to NDEP — as well as people living with diabetes or working to prevent type 2 diabetes — about setting goals and making lifestyle changes. Initial videos (with more in the series to follow) include the following topics:
- setting goals to improve your health
- managing type 2 diabetes
- living with type 2 diabetes: finding the support you need
- preventing type 2 diabetes
- maintaining a healthy weight
- practical tips and action steps: physical activity
Additionally, visitors can choose what they’d like help with, such as how to cope with stress and emotions, eat healthy, or be active. They can also utilize tracking tools for calories or physical activity, or online programs to help them manage their weight or stop smoking. People at risk for diabetes will also find this site helpful.