October is Health Literacy Month

October is Health Literacy Month





Having limited health-literacy skills can be a problem for people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Health-related terms and concepts can be hard to understand. The NDEP works to create plain-language resources that help make diabetes messages clear and simple.

The following NDEP plain-language materials are available to you: 

• 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life – As NDEP’s most popular diabetes-management publication, this booklet helps people with diabetes understand, monitor, and manage their diabetes.

• Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime – This booklet helps people with diabetes take care of their feet to prevent serious foot problems.

• How to Help a Loved One Cope with Diabetes – This tip sheet provides practical suggestions for helping a loved one cope with managing diabetes.

• Taking Care of Your Diabetes Means Taking Care of Your Heart – This resource encourages patients with diabetes to work with their health care team to manage A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol to prevent heart problems.

• Choose More than 50 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes – This publication helps people at risk for type 2 diabetes find ways to move more and make healthy food choices to lower their risk for the disease.

• Did You Have Gestational Diabetes When You Were Pregnant? What You Need to Know. – This resource encourages women who had gestational diabetes to take steps to prevent type 2 diabetes and take actions to help the whole family stay healthy.

• It’s Not Too Late to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes – This tip sheet helps older adults take steps to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The Spanish version of this tip sheet has also been reviewed for plain-language.

• How to Help Your Children Stay Healthy: Tips to Lower Their Chances of Getting Type 2 Diabetes – This publication provides ideas for parents to help their children be active and eat healthier to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org to view and download these materials. Be sure to check out NDEP's Plain-Language Review Process page to learn more about the NDEP’s plain-language approach.