Diabetes

An estimated 130,000 New Mexicans have diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that can result in serious complications: heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, stroke, amputations and death. The burden of diabetes is felt most heavily by Hispanic and Native American citizens, who are approximately two to three times more likely than Anglo-Americans to have diabetes. In the recent past, diabetes was primarily considered a disease of the elderly. This is not the case today. Due to an increase in more sedentary lifestyles, over nutrition, and the number of people who are overweight, type 2 diabetes is now affecting younger people, including children and adolescents.

Research shows that the risk for complications from diabetes can be decreased when blood glucose levels are maintained within a range that mimics "normal" levels. To achieve this level of control, lifestyle changes usually prescribed for people to manage diabetes include diet modifications. These changes are neither simple to understand nor easy to master. Individuals and families affected by diabetes regularly struggle with understanding complicated diet recommendations and separating them from myths and outdated advice. A national study called the Diabetes Prevention Program study showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes with a small weight loss and regular exercise.

Diabetes is a major health issue in New Mexico. The Cooperative Extension Service's mission is to enhance quality of life for New Mexicans. Improving health enhances quality of life. Therefore, Cooperative Extension programming includes addressing this major health issue in New Mexico by providing programs that promote physical activity and healthy eating, and to help persons at risk for diabetes and persons living with diabetes.

Contact:

Karen Halderson, MPH, RD, LD, CDE
Extension Diabetes Coordinator
New Mexico State University
Cooperative Extension Service
2444 Louisiana Blvd, NE Suite 220
Albuquerque, NM 87110

Phone: 575-332-3765
Fax: 575-332-3681
Email: khalders@nmsu.edu

Programs:

• Tasty Solutions
• Kitchen Creations
• Keep Moving, Keep Healthy
• On the Road to Living Well with Diabetes
• Resources

Tasty Solutions

Tasty Solutions for Diabetes is a DVD with four 30-minute episodes of food demonstrations and information for people with diabetes. The co-hosts are Lola Cunico, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator and Kelley Coffeen, a home economist and food consultant. Lola and Kelley show how to prepare everything from breakfast parfaits to lettuce wraps. The dishes are delicious and are part of a group of recipes that can fit into a diabetes eating plan.

Kitchen Creations

Kitchen Creations is a cooking school for people with diabetes and their families. The Kitchen Creations curriculum was written to respond to the needs of people with diabetes in New Mexico. Kitchen Creations consists of four classes which last about 3 hours each. The participants prepare recipes at sessions #2, #3, and #4.

Contacts for the Kitchen Creations program:

• Karen Halderson, MPH, RD, LD, CDE
  Extension Diabetes Coordinator
  2444 Louisiana Blvd, NE Suite 220
  Albuquerque, NM 87110
  Phone: 505-332-3765
  Fax: 505-332-3681
  Email: khalders@nmsu.edu


• K'Dawn Jackson
  Program Coordinator
  New Mexico State University
  Cooperative Extension Service, MSC 3AE
  Box 30003
  Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
  Phone: 505-646-5087
  Fax: 505-646-1889
  Email: kjackson@nmsu.edu

For a list and schedule of Kitchen Creations cooking schools in New Mexico, click here.

County Home Economists providing the Kitchen Creations program:

For employees:

• All Kitchen Creation Forms
  

• Kitchen Creations Faculty Newsletters

Keep Moving, Keep Healthy

Keep Moving, Keep Healthy with Diabetes is an exercise intervention program to help increase physical activity. In Dona Ana County the program was piloted into a study with 92 participants. The participants were randomly put into the intervention group who would receive this program or were put into a control group who would receive the On The Road along with a nutrition program. To participate in the study you had to have type 2 diabetes. We are getting closer to wrapping up the study, but other counties are offering this program in conjunction with Kitchen Creations. KMKH was targeted to those with diabetes, but it is open to their family members and friends as well. This program helps individuals understand the barriers that keep the majority of individuals from being more active and how to overcome those barriers. Individuals with diabetes will also learn any precautions to take when blood sugar is too low or too high and what medications are at risk for lowering blood sugar too low during exercise. They will also learn the different types of activities and how to incorporate them into their exercise routine. They are also shown an exercise video that can be done standing or sitting. This video is to help individuals with certain limitations be able to increase physical activity using the video. They are given a pedometer and resistant band and encouraged to write out an exercise plan that they can follow. Ultimately this is to help people engage in physical activity and to show individuals with diabetes (type 2) that through some type of physical activity they can gain control of their diabetes.

Contact for the Keep Moving, Keep Healthy with Diabetes program:
Lourdes Olivas, Specialist
New Mexico State University
Cooperative Extension Service, MSC 3AE, Box 30003
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Phone: 505-646-5763
Fax: 505-646-1889
loumunoz@nmsu.edu

County Home Economists providing the Keep Moving with Diabetes program:

For employees:

• 1st Class Curriculum Guide
  

• 2nd Class Curriculum Guide
  

• Activity & Step Log Sheet
  

• PowerPoint for Exercise Class
  

• Post Exercise Evaluation Form
  

On the Road to Living Well with Diabetes

On the Road is a program that educates individuals with diabetes about how to be more in charge of their own diabetes care. They are educated on the five important diabetes tests; A1c, blood pressure, microalbumin, LDL cholesterol, and an eye exam. They will learn what the above five tests are, how often they should be done, and what the results mean. They will also learn how to take action dependent on their results and how to talk to their healthcare team about their tests. A registered nurse is present at the classes to perform the five tests that are discussed. The ultimate outcome from this program is individuals with diabetes will know how to feel more in charge of their own diabetes care and their health. This program reaches approximately 500 people per year.

Contact for the On the Road to Living Well with Diabetes program:
Lourdes Olivas, Specialist
New Mexico State University
Cooperative Extension Service, MSC 3AE, Box 30003
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Phone: 505-646-5763
Fax: 505-646-1889
loumunoz@nmsu.edu

County Home Economists providing Living Well with Diabetes

Resources

• Extension Articles

• List of Diabetes Related Books
  

• Diabetes Online (links to external web sites)

The following publications can be found on the Extension Food and Nutrition publications page:

• Control Your Diabetes for Life: What is Diabetes (Circular 569 A)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Who Gets Diabetes (Circular 569 B)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Healthy Living with Diabetes (Circular 569 C)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Navigating the Health Care System (Circular 569 D)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Know Your Numbers (Circular 569 E)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Diabetes Medications (Circular 569 F)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Coping with Diabetes (Circular 569 G)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Exercise for People with Diabetes (Circular 569 H)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Preventing Complications (Circular 569 I)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Nutrition Series-Choosing Foods at Meals and Snacks (Circular 631-A)
• Control Your Diabetes for Life: Nutrition Series-How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label (Circular 631-B)

The following publications can be found on the Extension Family Development publications page:

• Childhood Overweight-What a Parent Can Do (Circular F-123)
• Parents' Feelings About Overweight Children (Circular F-124)